4 ms·

Is this because of the data quality and difficulties with merging across CRSes or otherwise slightly differently aligned datasets? I dabble in geospatial data

Is this because of the data quality and difficulties with merging across CRSes or otherwise slightly differently aligned datasets? I dabble in geospatial data for my work in air quality modelling, accuracy for me means being within approximately 10-50 meters. Even under those very loose constraints I find the data handed to me by clients is often not good enough. Incomplete AutoCad dxfs, PDFs, and dubious SHPs all make the work much harder than it needs to be.

AlotOfReading 3y ago
It's everything. The problem domain for Google maps is effectively "everything on Earth". I haven't worked with gmaps specifically and can't claim specific expertise there beyond some social conversations with people on the team, but some fun things I've encountered include: * Roads that have no physical delineations (e.g. an entire valley is the road). * Landscape features can change rapidly (e.g. forest fires rendering roads unusable on a minute-by-minute basis). * Landscape features can change slowly (e.g. erosion, continental drift) * Landscape features can change slowly and rapidly (e.g. features on glaciers). * Data that's flat out wrong for political reasons (e.g. disputed territories, GCJ-02, hidden "things"). * Data that's flat out wrong for technological reasons (e.g. GPS jamming). * Things that are named in languages without written forms. * Things that have official names other people consider offensive (e.g. Piestewa peak). When you make a map, all of these and more become your problem. Every edge case anywhere in the world is potentially something you have to worry about.
cwmma 3y ago
In addition to what the other commenter said, disparate sources with incompatible schema, often updated at a glacial pace are a big problem and possibly a root cause of the issue in the article.

4 ms·

Is this because of the data quality and difficulties with merging across CRSes or otherwise slightly differently aligned datasets? I dabble in geospatial data

by ImaCake 3y ago

AlotOfReading 3y ago
It's everything. The problem domain for Google maps is effectively "everything on Earth". I haven't worked with gmaps specifically and can't claim specific expertise there beyond some social conversations with people on the team, but some fun things I've encountered include: * Roads that have no physical delineations (e.g. an entire valley is the road). * Landscape features can change rapidly (e.g. forest fires rendering roads unusable on a minute-by-minute basis). * Landscape features can change slowly (e.g. erosion, continental drift) * Landscape features can change slowly and rapidly (e.g. features on glaciers). * Data that's flat out wrong for political reasons (e.g. disputed territories, GCJ-02, hidden "things"). * Data that's flat out wrong for technological reasons (e.g. GPS jamming). * Things that are named in languages without written forms. * Things that have official names other people consider offensive (e.g. Piestewa peak). When you make a map, all of these and more become your problem. Every edge case anywhere in the world is potentially something you have to worry about.
cwmma 3y ago
In addition to what the other commenter said, disparate sources with incompatible schema, often updated at a glacial pace are a big problem and possibly a root cause of the issue in the article.