4 ms·

> Do not blindly trust it. Map data can be very out of date in some places, especially on remote-ish hiking trails. Also, for the love of everything that's hol

by izacus 3y ago

> Do not blindly trust it. Map data can be very out of date in some places, especially on remote-ish hiking trails. Also, for the love of everything that's holy, do the same with Apple/Google Maps. They can be horribly wrong to the point of being actively dangerous.

IshKebab 3y ago
For roads though they generally hook into official sources (e.g. Ordnance Survey in the UK) so they are guaranteed to get updated when the layout changes. That's not true for OSM. (Though obviously in the UK there are enough map nerds that it's very unlikely to be an issue.)
- matkoniecz 3y ago
  Official sources also may have outdated maps. Especially when for example bridge was destroyed hours/days ago.
- izacus 3y ago
  I don't know for UK, but in Swiss Alps the data is extremely scarce, which paths outright missing and Maps showing paths that can be closed or extremely dangerous.
- ihatehn 3y ago
  Apple and Google are not guaranteed to be updated when government road data changes. They do their best and they have tons of money and user-reported data (like live GPS traces from users' devices) to do decent work, but there are many times that OSM map nerds do a better job. The real issue with OSM is in remote areas where not a lot of people are around on the ground to realize that it's broken or care: the first user in an area often has some volunteer work to do. But fortunately it's easy and you can do it. Any random person can make a better map of their area than Google, instead of having to beg them for it.
wds 3y ago
Can't trust Apple/Google, can't trust OSM, can't trust paper maps... What's the right answer here?
- whywhywouldyou 3y ago
  Be aware that all maps be untrustworthy. Be aware of your environment. Don't blindly follow instructions. Have a backup plan.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 3y ago
  Trust but verify
- et-al 3y ago
  To use a cliche, the map is not the territory.
- ihatehn 3y ago
  It highly depends on what you're doing (a road trip vs a grocery run vs hiking mountainous back country) but the first step is to do a sanity check of the route. It's very easy for many GPS apps to route people to the center of an airport for example (i.e. the middle of the runway) instead of the main terminal, and only recently have a few apps managed to do better about that. Other times you can just easily spot that it's not a great route by reviewing it for ten seconds.
- izacus 3y ago
  > What's the right answer here? Essentially, check before hand and if possible, use maps fit for purpose. (E.g. Switzerland has nice public topo maps which are usually more accurate than Maps/OSM. They're available in SwissTopo app. The dedicated app also tends to show closed routes more accurately.) And double check with local info boards about current state (many regions have websites or dedicated meterological organizations that will post recommendations and closed routes).
- matkoniecz 3y ago
  > What's the right answer here? Do not ignore reality. Do not drive around signs announcing that bridge is closed, for an example.

by izacus 3y ago

IshKebab 3y ago

For roads though they generally hook into official sources (e.g. Ordnance Survey in the UK) so they are guaranteed to get updated when the layout changes. That's not true for OSM. (Though obviously in the UK there are enough map nerds that it's very unlikely to be an issue.)

matkoniecz 3y ago
Official sources also may have outdated maps. Especially when for example bridge was destroyed hours/days ago.
izacus 3y ago
I don't know for UK, but in Swiss Alps the data is extremely scarce, which paths outright missing and Maps showing paths that can be closed or extremely dangerous.
ihatehn 3y ago
Apple and Google are not guaranteed to be updated when government road data changes. They do their best and they have tons of money and user-reported data (like live GPS traces from users' devices) to do decent work, but there are many times that OSM map nerds do a better job. The real issue with OSM is in remote areas where not a lot of people are around on the ground to realize that it's broken or care: the first user in an area often has some volunteer work to do. But fortunately it's easy and you can do it. Any random person can make a better map of their area than Google, instead of having to beg them for it.

wds 3y ago

Can't trust Apple/Google, can't trust OSM, can't trust paper maps... What's the right answer here?

whywhywouldyou 3y ago
Be aware that all maps be untrustworthy. Be aware of your environment. Don't blindly follow instructions. Have a backup plan.
rcMgD2BwE72F 3y ago
Trust but verify
et-al 3y ago
To use a cliche, the map is not the territory.
ihatehn 3y ago
It highly depends on what you're doing (a road trip vs a grocery run vs hiking mountainous back country) but the first step is to do a sanity check of the route. It's very easy for many GPS apps to route people to the center of an airport for example (i.e. the middle of the runway) instead of the main terminal, and only recently have a few apps managed to do better about that. Other times you can just easily spot that it's not a great route by reviewing it for ten seconds.
izacus 3y ago
> What's the right answer here? Essentially, check before hand and if possible, use maps fit for purpose. (E.g. Switzerland has nice public topo maps which are usually more accurate than Maps/OSM. They're available in SwissTopo app. The dedicated app also tends to show closed routes more accurately.) And double check with local info boards about current state (many regions have websites or dedicated meterological organizations that will post recommendations and closed routes).
matkoniecz 3y ago
> What's the right answer here? Do not ignore reality. Do not drive around signs announcing that bridge is closed, for an example.