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South Korean on GMaps feel likes a snapshot of 2009. Whereas the rest of Google Maps has switched to something vector based, South Korea still has tiling based

by varenc 5y ago

South Korean on GMaps feel likes a snapshot of 2009. Whereas the rest of Google Maps has switched to something vector based, South Korea still has tiling based map images with different images for different zoom levels and the place names just baked into the image. Any idea why? Apple Maps is great in comparison.

xxpor 5y ago
It's a similar law to what's discussed here. The justification is protection from NK.
- ncpa-cpl 5y ago
  Could it be a licensing issue? Naver Maps has really good street view and very accurate maps in SK. https://map.naver.com/ https://map.naver.com/
  - xxpor 5y ago
    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/google-challenges-south-korea-over-mapping-restrictions-1463478584 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/google...
  - AYBABTME 5y ago
    My reading of the situation is that it's a convenient "national security issue" which happens to favor SK companies and insulate them from having to compete head-to-head with Google Maps. Turn-by-turn navigation also doesn't work using Google Maps. Meanwhile SK navigation apps like Naver Maps or Kakao Maps have really poor navigation features if you compare to what you'd have using Google Maps on an American road. The end result is that consumers suffer, since artificial market protection leads to an inferior product and no real need to improve and compete by players on the local market.
dirtyid 5y ago
Some more info: https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/constraining-online-maps-the-case-of-south-korea/ https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/constraining-online-maps-the-c... >Why is Google’s Korean map behaving this way? In short, because of Korea’s Spatial Data Industry Promotion Act from 2009, specifically Article 7, which states that: >Spatial data business operators may produce and distribute any processed spatial data. In such cases, processed spatial data shall not include any spatial data on any military base provided for in subparagraph 1 of Article 2 of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act nor on any military installation provided for in subparagraph 2 of the said Article. >And considering the existence of the most heavily militarized border on the planet between North Korea and South Korea, this means a substantial part of South Korea is riddled with military installations. >By limiting the maximum resolution of its Korean imagery on maps.google.co.kr, Google appears to have satisfied Korean regulators that it is obeying the relevant Korean laws. Thus, Google avoids having to blur or otherwise censor the satellite imagery base layer for Korea — something which it has successfully managed to avoid in China, India and elsewhere. Write up about Apples courser application https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/apple-censors-ipad-maps-app-over-south-korea/ https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/apple-censors-ipad-maps-app-ov...

by varenc 5y ago

xxpor 5y ago

It's a similar law to what's discussed here. The justification is protection from NK.

ncpa-cpl 5y ago
Could it be a licensing issue? Naver Maps has really good street view and very accurate maps in SK. https://map.naver.com/ https://map.naver.com/
- xxpor 5y ago
  https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/google-challenges-south-korea-over-mapping-restrictions-1463478584 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/google...
- AYBABTME 5y ago
  My reading of the situation is that it's a convenient "national security issue" which happens to favor SK companies and insulate them from having to compete head-to-head with Google Maps. Turn-by-turn navigation also doesn't work using Google Maps. Meanwhile SK navigation apps like Naver Maps or Kakao Maps have really poor navigation features if you compare to what you'd have using Google Maps on an American road. The end result is that consumers suffer, since artificial market protection leads to an inferior product and no real need to improve and compete by players on the local market.

dirtyid 5y ago

Some more info: https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/constraining-online-maps-the-case-of-south-korea/ https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/constraining-online-maps-the-c... >Why is Google’s Korean map behaving this way? In short, because of Korea’s Spatial Data Industry Promotion Act from 2009, specifically Article 7, which states that: >Spatial data business operators may produce and distribute any processed spatial data. In such cases, processed spatial data shall not include any spatial data on any military base provided for in subparagraph 1 of Article 2 of the Protection of Military Bases and Installations Act nor on any military installation provided for in subparagraph 2 of the said Article. >And considering the existence of the most heavily militarized border on the planet between North Korea and South Korea, this means a substantial part of South Korea is riddled with military installations. >By limiting the maximum resolution of its Korean imagery on maps.google.co.kr, Google appears to have satisfied Korean regulators that it is obeying the relevant Korean laws. Thus, Google avoids having to blur or otherwise censor the satellite imagery base layer for Korea — something which it has successfully managed to avoid in China, India and elsewhere. Write up about Apples courser application https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/apple-censors-ipad-maps-app-over-south-korea/ https://ogleearth.com/2012/07/apple-censors-ipad-maps-app-ov...