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Google Maps changed to show Lake Ontario as Lake America
- k310 2mo agoFor about the third time this morning (sigh) Google Maps users, please report this aberration. You need to be logged in to report it.
- bsian 2mo agoThis is not a case of vandalism by other users. Google made this change because they use the names officially recognised by the government of the US.
- bigstrat2003 2mo agoThe government doesn't get to name geographic features.
- c22 2mo agoWho gets to name them?
- Doctor_Fegg 2mo ago> The OpenStreetMap community operates under the “on the ground” principle, recording what is actually currently used in a particular area, giving preeminence to data collected in situ. https://osmfoundation.org/w/images/d/d8/DisputedTerritoriesInformation.pdf https://osmfoundation.org/w/images/d/d8/DisputedTerritoriesI...
- benregenspan 2mo agoPrivate entities get to use whatever name they want. In this case, there is the option to use the longstanding name that matches the one used by the other neighboring territory. Or to have a wait period after the name is changed unilaterally by executive order, because it'd be silly to change it back and forth. Or to put "a.k.a..." after it. Or to wait for the relevant government to update its own map and geographic names database first (https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/searc... is not yet updated as of now). Or to wait until local signage can be updated so it mostly matches the map (though I don't think Rochester will be in a rush to do this).
- benj111 2mo agoWell Derry/Londonderry is officially called Londonderry, but Irish republicans didn't like the London link so call(ed) it Derry. So during the troubles it was a thing to refer to is as Derry/Londonderry.
- matt_heimer 2mo agoSee https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names/what-geographic-names-information-system-gnis#1 https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names/what-geogr...
- jacquesm 2mo agoIt is definitely a case of vandalism.
- dotcoma 2mo agoDon’t do evil…
- hopojp 2mo ago[dead]
- hopojp 2mo ago[dead]
- toplinesoftsys 2mo agoI think this is a great startup idea and unique opportunity - create Google Maps competitor on promise to have Lake Ontario and Gulf of Mexico named correctly, along with a promise to ignore other possible renamings in future. :)
- maccam912 2mo agoWe have MapQuest for this!
- ChrisArchitect 2mo ago[dupe] Discussion on source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49495947 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49495947
- DarmokTanagra 2mo agoGoogle is a perfect example of the banality of evil.
- matt_heimer 2mo agoThis isn't really on Google. Countries disagree on how things should be named. Google sources the US centric view from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Blame the person causing the GNIS updates.
- isleyaardvark 2mo agoBlame the person at Google who chose to source from GNIS, without edits.
- matt_heimer 2mo agoIt was a very reasonable decision when it was made around 2008. Do you really expect a US based company to go to legal war with the US government over something like this? Because there would 100% be repercussions it they did.
- kashunstva 2mo agoIs there a legal requirement that non-governmental entities source their mapping data from official U.S. government sources?
- kps 2mo agoI don't think that matters with the current administration.
- derbOac 2mo agoI think that's part of what is frustrating to so many people? Google isn't a small business, and has the legal resources to at least fight back if they were challenged by the administration. Any such challenge would likely fall apart in trial, but even if it didn't Google would have at least challenged the absurdity of it.
- cbeach 2mo ago[flagged]
- lwansbrough 2mo ago"Patriotic" and it's the renaming of a place with historic meaning and cultural significance to the region on both sides of the border. It's vandalism. Like when ISIS went around destroying historic sites. Does every Trump supporter have to be just woefully ignorant about every single topic?
- cbeach 2mo ago[flagged]
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- whh 2mo agoInside the US. In the rest of the world, it shows the correct name.
- rozab 2mo agoTrue for now, but here in the UK I still see 'Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)'
- pylua 2mo agoThe correct name depends on your context. I know it’s unpopular but it’s true.
- HarHarVeryFunny 2mo agoOne thing that does seem to be incorrect is that Google has a single name on the lake - Lake America, when surely that only applies to the American half. The US-Canadian border runs down the middle of the lake, so unless I'm missing something Trump's renaming only applies to the American half, and the correct way for Google to show it would be with different names for each half of the lake.
- ButlerianJihad 2mo agoThat's ridiculous! How do you rename half of a lake! I say that there are two lakes. It remains for future generations to decide how the two lakes are apportioned. Perhaps each of them are coterminous, with the same boundaries, size and volume, but one is named "Lake America" and one is not. One is a lake in US waters, and the other is in some foreign country. Perhaps of the two lakes, they are split in twain, and there is an international border running through the middle of these two distinct bodies of water. Perhaps vessels will littorally obtain right of passage in international waters, and undergo customs inspections before they can cross over the somewhat amorphous border between Lake Ontario and Lake America, and vice versa.
- wildzzz 2mo agoThat's not really how local naming works. I call Germany Germany but the Germans call it Deutschland. There's not two Germany's, there's just one and I have a different name for it. It really doesn't matter if a geographic object is completely inside, partially inside, or completely outside a country's borders, they have an official or de facto name for it that could differ from what you call it.
- lwansbrough 2mo agoWhile they show Lake Ontario (Lake America) in the rest of the world, I would like to suggest that they apply a more patronizing treatment to the alias: Lake Ontario ("Lake America") The quotes add a certain.. je ne sais quoi. I think overall it's not Google's job to decide the names of things. Half of America voted for the circus, enjoy!
- 420official 2mo agoWell technically less than a quarter voted for it, but fair enough.
- lwansbrough 2mo agoIt's probably a good representative sample. So I do believe that roughly 50% of the US population supports or would vote for Trump.
- PrinceAliHad2P 2mo ago[dead]
- weedfroglozenge 2mo agoIf I'm swimming in Lake America, in America, greatest country in the world, I don't want to hear this "Je ne sais quoi" - Keep it in American, buddy.
- hopojp 2mo ago[dead]
- johncearls 2mo agoI'm not your buddy, pal.
- carra 2mo agoThis is a good moment to remind everyone that the USA is not "America". Not even North America. Just a part of it.
- teeray 2mo agoWhile true, that charitable interpretation of this renaming is not appropriate to apply here.
- carra 2mo agoAbsolutely. My point was not to agree with the new name, but to say that USA should not call themselves America (which is not just arrogant, but plainly incorrect)
- s1artibartfast 2mo agoThats right, we can all share in this new naming. From Canada in the north to Chile in the south
- lern_too_spel 2mo agoIt's not so bad. Schoolchildren merely have to change the acronym they use to memorize the Great Lakes from HOMES to SHAME. Edit: It seems others have figured this out before I did.
- derwiki 2mo agoFirst place I saw it so enjoy your upvote!
- forest_brothers 2mo ago[dead]