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New Maps Won't Load Satellite Images


EcuaDeb

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WHAT HAVE YOU DONE Groundspeak? YOUR UPGRADES ARE TOTALLY USELESS!!!

Instead of adding new functions you are just downgrading the maps.

When will you add something good like:

- disabled caches filter?

- terrain/difficulty filter?

- why do I have to disable found caches everytime I load the map???

 

And where is the scale on the map for Christ sakes!!!!

 

Thank God (and our friens) for the script for Google Maps (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/125891)

 

AAAAAAAAhhhh Where is your mind?

Edited by Andrey[SK]
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Groundspeak... I have no idea how you thought this was an upgrade! This is TERRIBLE!

 

First, I am disgusted with you removing virtuals and webcam caches... Those were a lot of fun in certain locations (where caches couldnt be put).

 

Second, www.Waymarking.com is a joke. If it isnt part of this website and incorporated into the aps we have for our phones, what use is it?

 

Finally, who in the world tested the new mapping system? Could ANYONE possibly be happy with these limited, slow, might load next century maps? Going to look for you reasoning, but now I have to pull a lat long and search for it in Google Earth so I have a picture. Unfortunately , I cannot do that from my phone. We are doing an activity that requires a GPS and mapping skills. Mapping skills requires MAPS!

 

Hopefully you have a recovery?

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Here's my 2 cents worth. I don't mind the new maps. OSM seems fine to me. The only thing I'd like to see is having the ability to make it my default map instead of having to select it each time. Yes the aerial view was nice, but I can live with out it. If I need to us aerial view I can always log in to google maps to get a feel for the land. There has to be some sense of mystery to this game. Afterall we do need to do some work to find the caches!! As for accuracy, OSM actually shows new roads in my area that google maps hasn't shown for a couple of years.

Change can be hard sometimes. I'm not saying its right or wrong, but give it a chance.

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I found the old satellite maps to be a big help finding caches. The new ones aren't. What's the point of having these horrid satellite maps if they are useless? Having a graphic of an old rug would be better than looking at the new satellite map. The old satellite maps were great. The new ones are so bad they aren't worth :mad: :mad:using. If this is all about saving money, you could save more by doing away with these useless satellite maps.

 

It's amazing that this thread is up to 50 posts and nobody has mentioned that Google satellite view maps are still available from every single cache page listing just by selecting the Google Maps link. Sure, you;ll only see the one cache on the map but I'd contend that when viewing a group of caches, and you want the see all of them on the map that the benefit of a satellite view are more aesthetic than functional. Once you zoom out far enough to see 50 or so caches on a map they're more visible on a non-satellite map, and the OpenStreetMap may layer has the potential to be much more current. I was looking at a Google Maps page which indicated that *most* of their maps use imagery that is 1-3 years old (that page might need an update). If a new bridge across a river nearby was finished today, I could go out and create a GPS track, upload the edit to OSM and it would show up on the maps tomorrow.

 

The biggest mistake I think Groundspeak made was including the Mapquest Aeriel layer at all with the last update. The performance is too poor and the coverage too spotty for it to be globally useful and if they'd just said told us why they were removing the Google maps (because it would raise their cost by millions of dollars a year) and that they were looking for solution there might be a lot fewer complaints. I also wish they'd give us the option of choosing a preference for the basemap (mine would be OpenStreetMaps) so that I wouldn't have to change it every time I loaded the mapping page.

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I have read a bunch of valid complaints but I still have not seen any that cover my biggest complaint. On an iPad I cannot use any map to open a cache. I cannot even get cache names. So the new maps really do not work for me. I could live with any accurate map if it worked. Please tell me you realize the maps do not work on iPads and have a fix for it.

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Greetings from Czech

Do you want back Google maps ? Use this script http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/125926

I have the same problems with the satelite view here in the Netherlands. I checked out the script you suggested, installed the latest version of Firefox (used Internet Explorer upto now), added Greasemonkey and ran the script. Five minutes of work and Google maps, Google satelite and hybrid views are back. Great suggestion! I can recommend it to everybody!

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The Greasemonkey script suggested in this thread really works for me on Firefox, and solved the problem (for now)

http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/125926

 

That's great for PC folks but does anyone know of anything for Mac users?

According to the download page it should work for Chrome as well (and no, I don't speak any Czech or Slovak, just guessing ...):

'Script Summary: Firefox i Chrome!!!'

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I too am not happy with the new maps. Not only don't they not look good to the eye, they do not load. Also a few of the roads by my house are mislabeled or there are not new streets not on the map that have been here for 6 years. I get why they changed but why didn't they make sure things would work better and why change the look of the left side where all the filters are because now they stink. On top of this all there is no hybrid map its such a simple thing but its not there. At the same time it really does not matter since the arial view does not load.

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First of all, Folks, Geocaching doesn't own Google Maps; Google Maps owns Google Maps. As much as I'd like to see Groundspeak continue to use Google Maps, people here have been too fast to blame Groundspeak for an issue that may well be out of their decision processes. What has been the outlash at Google Maps? Who here has complainèd to BOTH. If it hasn't been you, don't be surprised if I discount your opinion here.

 

Secondly, Geocaching has grown soft since its inception where all one got was a brief description and a set of coords. Following a Family Circus "Jeffy path" to Ground Zero is a privilege, not a right. Game on, as is - get over it.

 

Okay, onto where Groundspeak may in fact be to blame. If there are no hybrid views, why non? Groundspeak, where is your transparency? If the aerial views are at best 10 km x 10 km, or if they take forever to load, why is this a solution? Typically, the move from "beta" to release does not involve a loss of features, and yet here we are. These maps should still be beta in acknowledgement that they are less than a reasonable solution. Tsk tsk, Groundspeak, for selling this current state of affairs as the real product. That's on you.

 

Maybe it's time for Groundspeak to consider getting into the map database game. That is, for all of its projects (Waypoints, Geocachinhg, Challenges, etc), maybe it's time to own your own content, Groundspeak. It seems that your business model is at the mercy of the map providers. And, as this thread reveals, customers are vocal about this issue. Of course, an undertaking of this magnitude is not going to be some overnight solution, but maybe it's the future. The status quo, however, reveals the elephant in the room: dependency is dependency and must therefore be planned for. Sadly, this seems not to have been the case, a (seemingly) hasty decision was made, and the product is suffering. Please plan better for the future of Geocaching.

 

Best wishes,

tenebrus

Edited by tenebrus
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Even when it works to zoom in, the new satellite view does not zoom in to the same level of detail that the Google view gave. I definitely don't like the new system. What's the next step? The maps on my iPhone still work and are high quality google maps, but how long before they are pulled too?

Edited by heb1048
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Hate the new maps and GOOGLE for their greed!!!!

Better hate Groundspeak, because they keep PM money and do nothing positive in last half year. Google is owner of Gmaps and want pay (its normal). Groundspeak runs servers, doing some GC items and thats all. So where goes the PM money now, when they are running free maps...??!!

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The posting recommending the Greasespot Addin to Mozilla including installation of the Java Script works for me today. I now have the Google Sat-View back on the GC maps view but who knows for how long. Unfortunately, you cannot zoom in to the same level of detail that is possible from maps.google.com. Not sure what the limitation in the script is here but maybe one of our whiz kids will figure it out and offer an updated script.

 

Bing Maps & Aerial View is also available with a similar limitation on zoom capability. The latter is not quite as good as Google but maybe we should use it since MicroSoft has not "yet" instituted predatory pricing for hobby sites such as ours. I am at the point now too where I will reduce my dependency on google search as well. Might as well exercise my free will to use other search engines.

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I HATE the new maps! I was thinking I had to upgrade my account, but my Husband has a premium account and saw that his was the same. I tried typing in addresses for an upcoming trip, the map was WAY WAY off!! Not like a few feet off...we are talking city blocks off! I thought it was the address, but after trying a few times(leaving zip code off) and comparing the location on google maps, it never matched up!!

 

Horrible!

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First time to use the forums, so naturally you can understand I am not happy. As a premium member, I value the use of the geocaching web site and it's functionality. To change map providers and now receive an inferior experience makes me very unhappy. Satelite view in Australia with the new mapping is now not possible. It is like ordering and paying for a hamburger with cheese and receiving it minus the bun.

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Utilize scripts and add-ons mentioned for workarounds.

 

I was curious, so I did the math and it looks like the Google licensing model based on 2,000,000 requests per day from Groundspeak, would roughly cost about $2.8 - 5.8 Million per year depending on the API utilized. It then quickly becomes clear why the change was made to a lesser product. You get what you pay for... and going from (free?) to that staggering cost is quite a leap that would require a large re-think on the process.

 

In the mean time a free model becomes a thankful fallback, even if it is vastly inferior. I do like the new CSS that is being used though. But yes... I've been frustrated but at least now I know why.

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Again, this wasn't an upgrade. This was an update to stop using Google Maps, to avoid paying thousands of dollars per day to Google.

 

For details, see About Google Maps in the Announcements forum.

 

I am quite certain that Google would work with Groundspeak in coming up with a more palatable price deal. Something that should of been done LONG before this issue came to fruition. Groundspeak should of came to the premium user and asked them what they thought about the issue. Put in in the Groundspeak Newsletter and LET us know about change before it happens.

 

You see new changes to the website and you immediately think Upgrade, not something that is much worse than it was before.

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I have read a bunch of valid complaints but I still have not seen any that cover my biggest complaint. On an iPad I cannot use any map to open a cache. I cannot even get cache names. So the new maps really do not work for me. I could live with any accurate map if it worked. Please tell me you realize the maps do not work on iPads and have a fix for it.

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Not only do the new maps not load well, but there's no way to shut off "Automatic Update" to permit rapid geographic moves - and there's no "Number the Caches" option to permit listing GCXXXs and linking data to a printout of the map - and, of course, the aerial doesn't indicate street names (when I'm lucky enough to even get my area of interest to fill in) Usually, the center of my screen only shows a white rectangle!

 

The "new" maps are a disaster!

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was google maps the default map when going to the geocaching map page? Was it also the map that was displayed on the cache page? Surely this led to high usage.

 

Would it cut back on usage if these other maps now remain the new default but google satellite/hybrid could still be chosen as necessary by the geocacher?

 

The mapquest aerial is not loading for me at all. I like to go on the website from time to time at work to find a cache to do on my way home. My work computer will not allow me to load the script or to use mozilla or chrome. ie only.

 

 

I see that the geocaching android app is still using google map/satellite. will this continue? I hope so but I would also like it if OSM and/or OSM cyclemap as a third/fourth option (or OSM as the new default as well). I do like the OSM map. I have personally added many hiking trails to the map over the past few years (mostly Hudson Valley NY) and it is nice to see those trails when caching.

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About $3 million per year.
that would imply 2 mil map loads per day in excess of the free 25K

 

there is no way its that high, besides google offers premier accounts

Exactly.

 

In About Google Maps, OpinioNate wrote: "Geocaching.com averages well over 2,000,000 hits to Google per day, placing us firmly within that small percentage of affected consumers."

 

if that is really true there is the option of getting Google Maps API for Business

 

they start at $10K...how much can it be a year, 100K?...but i honestly don't think so

surely GC can afford that, its only 3300 PM's, there's way more than 3300 PM's

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if that is really true there is the option of getting Google Maps API for Business

I can't find it again now, but I read a blog a few days ago where another company that had about 1/2 the traffic (1M map views per day) tried to negotiate with Google and only got a 50% discount. So for geocaching.com, that would still be $1.5 million per year!

 

surely GC can afford that, its only 3300 PM's, there's way more than 3300 PM's

You're assuming that the money they get for PMs is pure profit. Don't forget that Groundspeak has to pay rent, utilities, salary, hosting, bandwidth, and various other expenses. I highly doubt they have an extra $1.5 mil just laying around.

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I don't know if it's related or not, but I'm now not getting the correct results on Route Queries.

 

What's the problem? Well, for starters, I didn't see GS mention (or actually produce) the mentioned work-around script. I'm not sure how that script maintains the lower cost goal GS seems to be seeking (how will we not immediately go right back up to the same number of hits?) Just wondering what's really behind all the feints and defenses is all.

Edited by goingtopot
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Loads of information on these forums, just do a little reading

 

capturetpz.jpg

 

nice satalite image... Don't see any cache icons of anytype on the map. If I wanted just a plain satalite view without any caches plotted on it. There are alot of ways I can do that...

 

Now show me a Satalite Hybrid Image that shows at least 100 caches plotted on it!!!

 

TGC

 

Oh BTW.... I only use IE 9.0... Firefox won't run on my system.. so I guess it won't do any good for those of us who are required to use IE 9 right?

Edited by texasgrillchef
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surely GC can afford that, its only 3300 PM's, there's way more than 3300 PM's

You're assuming that the money they get for PMs is pure profit. Don't forget that Groundspeak has to pay rent, utilities, salary, hosting, bandwidth, and various other expenses. I highly doubt they have an extra $1.5 mil just laying around.

 

nope, not assuming anything...i am fully aware of other costs, and i always pointed that out to other people that actually assume

 

but, as someone pointed out there are currently 128,000 PM's at $30 its $3.8 mil a year...that is a good chunk of money to pay their expenses and have quite a bit left

i am not suggesting they pay the per use for google maps but a premier license should definitely be considered

further more if the PM went up by $5 that would bring in an extra $700K, i think most people would pay that, even more so since the fee has never been increased before, i would think that anyone with common sense will recognize that it would be a well justified increase

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I am not happy with the new maps. I print a copy of the map when planning a route which I use for a reference while caching. i also question tha accuracy of these new maps. Look at the village of Bobcaygeon in Ontrio Canada. The whole village is shown in the lake on the new maps.

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New maps is the future. Everybody can contribute to the upgrade of the maps and it is for free.

You are not linked to a $$$$company$$$$$.

 

The only thing i really find boring is that there is no more scale on the maps!!!

Doesn't Leaflet permit to show a scale?

 

Please add the scale !

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