Property lines on the maps?

[PastorJon]

I just noticed that there appear to be property lines on the Geocaching Maps page. Is this a geocaching feature or a Google Maps feature?

 

Definitely cool... wondered if anyone else had noticed it.

 

Is this something that all areas have, or is it being phased in as data is gathered and collated?

[+beejay&esskay]

Can you give a specific example? I don't see it.

[PastorJon]

I don't know if this will work. (No, they're not exactly my home coordinates... just my town)

 

http://www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx...p;lng=-70.24284

[Motorcycle_Mama]

I'm guessing that it's a Google Maps feature because they show up on the regular Google Maps.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=U....01869&z=16

[+beejay&esskay]

Interesting.

 

Not in my area yet.

[+Castle Mischief]

Interesting.

 

Not in my area yet.

 

I thought the same until I zoomed in. Too bad they don't show on the satellite view or hybrid view.

 

More awesome from Google.

[+DavidMac]

It's a Google thing. Lately they've been adding similar data for different areas as available. I'm not sure where Google gets the data but I think it depends on the particular city, towship, or state. Parts of Virginia have property lines too.

 

Another example I recently noticed within the last month... they added silhouettes of all the buildings at our university, but not for the rest of the town.

 

I'll never understand why they still refuse to add county boundaries, though.

[+beejay&esskay]

Interesting.

 

Not in my area yet.

 

I thought the same until I zoomed in. Too bad they don't show on the satellite view or hybrid view.

 

More awesome from Google.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source...010568&z=17

 

Not everyone, even when zoomed way in.

[+bittsen]

That IS new. It just showed up here in the last couple of days. What a helpful thing to have!

[+Castle Mischief]

I'll never understand why they still refuse to add county boundaries, though.

 

Yeah, what up with dat?

 

They clearly have the data becuase you can see them on Google Earth, but they don't show them in Google Maps. Strange.

[jholly]

I'll never understand why they still refuse to add county boundaries, though.

 

Yeah, what up with dat?

 

They clearly have the data becuase you can see them on Google Earth, but they don't show them in Google Maps. Strange.

 

Yahoo maps have the county boundaries.

 

Jim

[+Castle Mischief]

I'll never understand why they still refuse to add county boundaries, though.

 

Yeah, what up with dat?

 

They clearly have the data becuase you can see them on Google Earth, but they don't show them in Google Maps. Strange.

 

Yahoo maps have the county boundaries.

 

Jim

 

I have to maintain my techo-cool image by only using Google software. Yahoo is so 1999.

 

(Thanks for the info!)

[+jhauser42]

Just looked at a map of my home area (14201). 1 block east of me they have all of the building outlines, yet from my street west, they do not. Very interesting. They also have a lot of business names on the map page itself.

[+Castle Mischief]

Just looked at a map of my home area (14201). 1 block east of me they have all of the building outlines, yet from my street west, they do not. Very interesting. They also have a lot of business names on the map page itself.

 

There seems to be a bunch more points of interest labeled on the map these days...

 

Baseless speculation! Google will be releasing a GPS device or Android app in the near future!

[+Wacka]

The property lines would come from the Tax Assesor's Offices. Here in CA it's on the county level, in other areas, it's on the town or city level.

[+beejay&esskay]

Google has dropped Tele Atlas for US map data. It may be a related development. Here's part of a story and a link:

 

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/Google-drop-...p-data-5418.php

 

Darren Griffin:

Google have confirmed they have stopped using TeleAtlas as the map data provider for Google Maps in the US.

 

If you look at US Google Map data you will note the absence of the TeleAtlas Copyright message at the bottom of the page.

 

Google have used their data gathering experience to harvest data from other parties as well as the rich data contained in Streetview and and satellite/aerial photography to create their own map data.

 

In the same way as MapShare, Google now allow you to report map errors directly to them.

[+fegan]

I just noticed that there appear to be property lines on the Geocaching Maps page. Is this a geocaching feature or a Google Maps feature?

 

Definitely cool... wondered if anyone else had noticed it.

 

Is this something that all areas have, or is it being phased in as data is gathered and collated?

 

They're showing up near my home. Cool!

[+DENelson83]

FYI, a map showing property lines is what is known as a cadastral map.

[+ecanderson]

Google have confirmed they have stopped using TeleAtlas as the map data provider for Google Maps in the US.

 

If you look at US Google Map data you will note the absence of the TeleAtlas Copyright message at the bottom of the page.

That may well be, but it's of some interest that their maps still retain the exact errors from the TeleAtlas map set of North America that were in play when the copyright notice changed. In fact, as far as I can tell, nothing has changed at all apart from the copyright notice.

 

Perhaps what Google means to say, but hedged a bit, was that they would manage future updates to their maps on their own, but would use their licensed TeleAtlas database as their starting point?

 

In the same way as MapShare, Google now allow you to report map errors directly to them.

Ditto for TeleAtlas and Navteq (source for Garmin's set), although it took them ages to actually incorporate requested changes.

[Akxuhboutmeh]

I'm going to guess its a rough overlay based on tax maps.

 

Pretty much all states/countys should some type of a GIS program that can show you this same kind overlay.

 

I know at work (land surveyor) we have used this kinda thing for years on larger acre parcels of land to use landmarks to navigate lot lines to get at property corners that pulling / traversing to is just impractical.

 

Be forewarned though take it with a grain of salt if you plan to hold these types of things to be true , the accuracy of these lines can range anywhere from pretty solid to horrifically skewed at times.

[+CTYankee9]

Google have confirmed they have stopped using TeleAtlas as the map data provider for Google Maps in the US.

 

If you look at US Google Map data you will note the absence of the TeleAtlas Copyright message at the bottom of the page.

That may well be, but it's of some interest that their maps still retain the exact errors from the TeleAtlas map set of North America that were in play when the copyright notice changed. In fact, as far as I can tell, nothing has changed at all apart from the copyright notice.

 

Perhaps what Google means to say, but hedged a bit, was that they would manage future updates to their maps on their own, but would use their licensed TeleAtlas database as their starting point?

 

In the same way as MapShare, Google now allow you to report map errors directly to them.

Ditto for TeleAtlas and Navteq (source for Garmin's set), although it took them ages to actually incorporate requested changes.

 

I have still have the TeleAtlas tag, it would appear that it depends on what you are looking at and how far out you are zoomed. If you only have the U.S. within the view, then no TeleAtlas. The mapsets change depending on where you are, for instance Kansas as you get in closer start using something from the USDA Farm Service Agency.

 

Side note: Just noticed that as you zoom into the ocean and once it fully loads the waves are animated! Pretty cool.

[+beejay&esskay]

it's of some interest that their maps still retain the exact errors from the TeleAtlas map set of North America that were in play when the copyright notice changed. In fact, as far as I can tell, nothing has changed at all apart from the copyright notice.

 

 

Actually, that's not what I am seeing at all. I accumulated a number of TeleAtlas errors from recent trips that I hadn't reported yet. Almost all of them are OK in Google. (Including some huge errors like a missing bridge in Richmond IN.)

 

Not saying Google is perfect, but so far it looks better. And it is different...they didn't just copy TeleAtlas data. (And I've reported some errors to Google tonight. I'll be interested to see if they come anywhere close to their 30 day promise for fixes.)

[+ecanderson]

it's of some interest that their maps still retain the exact errors from the TeleAtlas map set of North America that were in play when the copyright notice changed. In fact, as far as I can tell, nothing has changed at all apart from the copyright notice.

 

 

Actually, that's not what I am seeing at all. I accumulated a number of TeleAtlas errors from recent trips that I hadn't reported yet. Almost all of them are OK in Google. (Including some huge errors like a missing bridge in Richmond IN.)

First, if your "TeleAtlas errors" are from a GPSr unit, understand that the GPSr manufacturers that use the the TeleAtlas map set and updates (e.g., TomTom) lag a ways behind the actual TeleAtlas updates themselves (a minimum of about 3 months, it seems). I find TeleAtlas errors in my TomTom's quarterly updated maps that have already been corrected both at TeleAtlas and google. It seems google is able to apply the changes from TeleAtlas a lot faster than the GPSr manufacturers. I'd be curious to know what you see if you review your errors directly on the TeleAtlas site. You may well find them fixed already.

 

I have a couple of little "tells" that are and remain unique to the TeleAtlas data set. They've never appeared on any other maps that I've seen, electronic or paper, unless of course the map in question was licensed from TeleAtlas. I don't know if these were included intentionally by TeleAtlas (most commercial map makers have used this technique to identify misuse of their products) or whether they were legitimate errors.

 

I can still see them at the "correction" section of the TeleAtlas site. They're also still in the google maps.

 

So whatever google is doing, they've not started from scratch in making their own maps. The base map set remains TeleAtlas. The comment in the prior post that google has "stopped using TeleAtlas" can only be regarded as accurate if you take a very narrow view of the word "stopped". As I noted before, I would guess they've stopped paying them for updates and stopped the update service.

 

It could be they got tired of the slow SLOW process of corrections they experienced with errors reported to TeleAtlas. Mine always seem to take 12 months or more to get fixed -- even the serious ones like the addition of a new interstate highway interchange.

Edited October 11, 2009 by ecanderson

[+beejay&esskay]

First, if your "TeleAtlas errors" are from a GPSr unit, understand that the GPSr manufacturers that use the the TeleAtlas map set and updates (e.g., TomTom) lag a ways behind the actual TeleAtlas updates themselves (a minimum of about 3 months, it seems). I find TeleAtlas errors in my TomTom's quarterly updated maps that have already been corrected both at TeleAtlas and google. It seems google is able to apply the changes from TeleAtlas a lot faster than the GPSr manufacturers. I'd be curious to know what you see if you review your errors directly on the TeleAtlas site. You may well find them fixed already.

 

 

No, not relying on my GPS. I was judging the errors from the Google Maps when they had TeleAtlas as the source.

 

I went to the TeleAtlas error reporting site. The Main Street bridge in Richmond IN 47374 is still missing. (It's been physically present there for a number of years. It was even Street-viewed.

 

So like I said, things got dramatically better when Google stopped relying on the TeleAtlas data. I have no information about whether they are continuing to use TeleAtlas (but wouldn't they have to give them credit...and surely they wouldn't do it illegally.)

Edited October 11, 2009 by beejay&esskay

[+beejay&esskay]

"Your Google Maps problem report has been reviewed, and you were right! We'll update the map within a month and email you when you can see the change." - Google response

 

I reported the error less than 48 hours ago. This, of course, is incredibly faster than I've seen a fix from either NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

There is something else that is new with Google Maps. Walking directions.

 

Here is a route between two of the buildings where I work:

 

Zoom in a bit and you'll see that there are sidewalks/pathways everywhere and the route follows the paths, not just the roads.

[+briansnat]

I think some people are now going to have a harder time getting certain caches published. Then again it will help responsible cache owners to do their homework and avoid private property issues in the first place

[+ecanderson]

"Your Google Maps problem report has been reviewed, and you were right! We'll update the map within a month and email you when you can see the change." - Google response

 

I reported the error less than 48 hours ago. This, of course, is incredibly faster than I've seen a fix from either NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas.

No kidding. Compared to the others, that would be incredibly good service - something the other two could learn from.

[+Castle Mischief]

Just looked at a map of my home area (14201). 1 block east of me they have all of the building outlines, yet from my street west, they do not. Very interesting. They also have a lot of business names on the map page itself.

 

There seems to be a bunch more points of interest labeled on the map these days...

 

Baseless speculation! Google will be releasing a GPS device or Android app in the near future!

 

I'd just like to point out that I totally called this one:

 

Will A Free Google GPS Sink The Navigation Industry?

[+ecanderson]

FYI: Regarding my previous post...

 

The 'tells' are now gone in the areas I mentioned. They've definitely shifted to someone else's map set here now, too.

 

No property line markings in our immediate area yet, but they are showing up elsewhere in surrounding counties. Odd, our county map system shows them. I guess google doesn't have their database yet.

[+eflyguy]

Same around here.

 

Click on this:

http://maps.google.com/maps?sll=33.929047,-84.426159

North/West of river is Cobb, South/East is Fulton. Fulton has them, Cobb doesn't..

..a

[+beejay&esskay]

"Your Google Maps problem report has been reviewed, and you were right! We'll update the map within a month and email you when you can see the change." - Google response

 

I reported the error less than 48 hours ago. This, of course, is incredibly faster than I've seen a fix from either NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas.

No kidding. Compared to the others, that would be incredibly good service - something the other two could learn from.

 

 

My first map correction has been made.

 

Reported error 10/9. Error confirmed by Google 10/11. Fix made on map 11/12. They missed the "1 month" promise by 1 day.

 

The first fix from NAVTEQ took 18 months. I never have had a fix made by TeleAtlas, but I first reported an error "only" a year ago.

 

I think I'm going to be very happy with Google's responsiveness to errors.