Google Maps Traps Seattle Park in 1978
A couple of months ago, the PI's Robert Jamieson publicized an issue with some sites using Google Maps data: Seattle's Martin Luther King Jr. Way South was showing up under its pre-1982 name, Empire Way South.
"You're not going to say we are being racist," a Google spokeswoman wondered.Interestingly, Google Maps itself had the street labeled correctly, but non-Google sites called it Empire Way.No, I assured her. The point of this tale is that even the best technology can miss things -- and people with careful eyes can trump computer code.
We spied with our careful eye a similar issue, but this time, people could try to imply that Google is being anti-Semitic: Seattle's Beer Sheva Park still shows up as Atlantic City Park. The park was renamed in 1978 to honor Seattle's sister city in Israel. In fact, you can't type "Beer Sheva Park" into Google Maps and get directions -- the map doesn't recognize it as a destination. Typing "Atlantic City Park" will get you there, no problem.
In this instance, it's not just sites that use Google Maps data on their own sites that show the problem -- it's Google Maps itself. They get their data from NAVTEQ, as the copyright on the map indicates. NAVTEQ's site also has the park labeled Atlantic City -- but they do have a Map Report tab that lets you tell them about any errors. So we reported the error, gave them a link to the park department's website, and we'll let you know when we hear back.
Of course, we don't believe Google -- or NAVTEQ -- is anti-Semitic. You can't accuse them of wiping something off the map if they never put it on the map in the first place. They're probably just teetotalitarian and can't stand the word "beer." Because we're sure they couldn't possibly be using 30-year-old maps...
