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Google Maps Still Not Working


Yshf

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when I enter my postal code 14850 into the map section in hide and seek a geocache, it still shows up way off. I AM ANGRY NOW!

Looks like it centers a few miles to west of the center of 14850.

 

This website was helpful for finding the boundaries to the zip code area:http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm

 

I'd suggest submitting this to Groundspeak (contact@Groundspeak.com???) or, probably better here: http://feedback.geocaching.com/forums/75775-geocaching-com

 

Until then, try searching by coordinates.

Edited by Ecylram
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when I enter my postal code 14850 into the map section in hide and seek a geocache, it still shows up way off. I AM ANGRY NOW!

Looks like it centers a few miles to west of the center of 14850.

 

...

 

I'd suggest submitting this to Groundspeak (contact@Groundspeak.com???) or, probably better here: http://feedback.geocaching.com/forums/75775-geocaching-com

Actually, you'd need to submit the complaint to Google. Groundspeak uses Google Maps and simply passes your request on.

 

Until then, try searching by coordinates.

Lil Devil thinks this is one of the best points. :)

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This has been brought up as a topic before. I'm just pointing it out that even though many many people have informed google, they still haven't done anything. Well i guess it does take awhile to fix something this big (It has happened to others too) but really!

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This has been brought up as a topic before. I'm just pointing it out that even though many many people have informed google, they still haven't done anything. Well i guess it does take awhile to fix something this big (It has happened to others too) but really!

You're not going to get much help from Google by just posting your problem in a Groundspeak discussion group. :) Go to the source of the problem.

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This has been brought up as a topic before. I'm just pointing it out that even though many many people have informed google, they still haven't done anything. Well i guess it does take awhile to fix something this big (It has happened to others too) but really!
I don't believe Google follows these forums, my friend. And yes... they are the ones with the error. This website uses their maps API, and gets what Google gives 'em.
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when I enter my postal code 14850 into the map section in hide and seek a geocache, it still shows up way off. I AM ANGRY NOW!

Looks like it centers a few miles to west of the center of 14850.

 

This website was helpful for finding the boundaries to the zip code area:http://maps.huge.info/zip.htm

 

I'd suggest submitting this to Groundspeak (contact@Groundspeak.com???) or, probably better here: http://feedback.geocaching.com/forums/75775-geocaching-com

 

Until then, try searching by coordinates.

 

Since I live in the same zipcode as Team Yeti SMP I thought I'd check where it's showing. 14850 is the zipcode for the city of Ithaca and it extends outside the city proper several miles. The center point when entering the zipcode close to the western edge of the boundry, a good 6-7 miles away from city center. Rather than use the zip code, entering "Ithaca, NY" for the location centers map in the city center.

 

As to why this behaves as it does. The maps are centered around specific coordinates, and those coordinates are determined by "looking up" a feature, whether it's a zipcode or a place name. The transformation to lat/long values is called geocoding, and depending on what data source is used to geocode the place name different lat/long values my be used. I recall a year ago or so when I did lookups on the site using just the zipcode, the city name, and a combination of the city name and zipcode and each resulted in different lat/long values. Why the center point for the 14850 zipcode is geocoded to a spot so far est of the middle of the postal code area can't really be determined without knowing the data source and I *suspect* that Groundspeak has no control over what geocoded values are provided without changing their data source.

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if I do a postal code search for my area, the center coordinates also wind up being many miles West of my location. The zip code is the quickest way to get in the general area of my home coordinates, but not the most accurate way.

 

My solution: put a cache in my front yard and use it. I tend to do my PQ's based on the coordinates of a particular cache in the general center of the area I want to search.

 

It's really not even Google's fault that the zip code points are located where they are. They don't generate that data. It probably comes from the TIGER data, which comes from the federal census. You're going to have to take your complaint pretty high up the totem pole to get it addressed.

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It's really not even Google's fault that the zip code points are located where they are. They don't generate that data. It probably comes from the TIGER data, which comes from the federal census. You're going to have to take your complaint pretty high up the totem pole to get it addressed.

 

This is true, as a GIS professional I can tell you that a lot of Google's data is not self-generated. I would follow the advice of NYPaddlecacher and type in 'Ithaca, NY' rather than using the zip code to get closer to the city center.

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