5 ms·
Google Maps changed to show Lake Ontario as Lake America
- k310 27d 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 27d 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 27d agoThe government doesn't get to name geographic features.
- c22 27d agoWho gets to name them?
- Doctor_Fegg 27d 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 27d 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 27d 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 27d 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 27d agoIt is definitely a case of vandalism.
- dotcoma 27d agoDon’t do evil…
- hopojp 27d ago[dead]
- hopojp 27d ago[dead]
- toplinesoftsys 27d 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 27d agoWe have MapQuest for this!
- ChrisArchitect 27d ago[dupe] Discussion on source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49495947 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49495947
- DarmokTanagra 27d agoGoogle is a perfect example of the banality of evil.
- matt_heimer 27d 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 27d agoBlame the person at Google who chose to source from GNIS, without edits.
- matt_heimer 27d 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 27d agoIs there a legal requirement that non-governmental entities source their mapping data from official U.S. government sources?
- kps 27d agoI don't think that matters with the current administration.
- derbOac 27d 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 27d ago[flagged]
- lwansbrough 27d 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 27d ago[flagged]
- deleted 27d ago[deleted]
- whh 27d agoInside the US. In the rest of the world, it shows the correct name.
- rozab 27d agoTrue for now, but here in the UK I still see 'Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)'
- pylua 27d agoThe correct name depends on your context. I know it’s unpopular but it’s true.
- HarHarVeryFunny 27d 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 27d 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 27d 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 27d 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 27d agoWell technically less than a quarter voted for it, but fair enough.
- lwansbrough 27d 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 27d ago[dead]
- weedfroglozenge 27d 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 27d ago[dead]
- johncearls 25d agoI'm not your buddy, pal.
- carra 27d agoThis is a good moment to remind everyone that the USA is not "America". Not even North America. Just a part of it.
- teeray 27d agoWhile true, that charitable interpretation of this renaming is not appropriate to apply here.
- carra 26d 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 27d agoThats right, we can all share in this new naming. From Canada in the north to Chile in the south
- lern_too_spel 27d 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 27d agoFirst place I saw it so enjoy your upvote!
- forest_brothers 26d ago[dead]