How Does Google Maps Work?
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2019-05-06
·
1,099 words · ~5 min read
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It used to be that looking something up on a map
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meant unfolding a huge piece of paper
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you kept in your glove box
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and driving past the turnoff to Des Moines
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in the time it took to find section A53.
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Fast forward a few years, and now thanks to Google Maps,
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you can zoom in so far on nearly any street in the world
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that whether you want a bodega in the Big Apple
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or just a regular apple in Manhattan, Kansas,
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you're not bound to have a problem.
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But this unprecedented level of detail
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didn't happen overnight.
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Google managed to get a foothold
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in the online mapping scene back in the mid-2000s
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when it acquired WhereTo Technologies,
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who had the idea to let people scroll around on a map
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without having to refresh,
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a novel concept that helped set Google Maps apart early on.
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But they needed more than just a pretty interface.
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Fortunately, Google is first and foremost a data company,
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so they often start by working directly
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with national and local government offices
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to determine not only exactly where every road is,
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but how lanes are spaced and allocated on freeways
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to give an accurate base experience.
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Unfortunately, oftentimes the government won't
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or isn't able to provide a completely accurate picture
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of how an area is laid out.
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Oh, you.
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So this is where Google Street View comes in.
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You can learn more about that up here,
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but hold on, isn't Street View just a way
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for users to virtually sightsee?
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The answer, as it turns out, is no.
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Google also uses Street View internally
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in order to double check and tweak
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its existing mapping data.
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As the Street View car takes photos of its surroundings,
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special AI can recognize any signs caught by the camera
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and send them to be analyzed by Google's servers
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to determine not only lane placement
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and traffic restrictions,
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but among other things,
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even the proper addresses of local businesses.
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All of this information is then also used
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to prevent Maps from giving you bad directions by,
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for example, sending you the wrong way
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down a one-way street.
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That would be bad.
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Adding another layer to Maps is Google's access
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to a huge amount of satellite data,
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partly from its acquisition
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of satellite imaging service Keyhole in 2004,
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and partly from government sources.
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They use top-down views of street markers
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to further improve accuracy,
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and they've even got to the point
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where they can use satellite imagery
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to extrapolate the shapes and footprints of buildings,
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not only to give you 3D views in Google Earth,
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which are super cool,
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but also to enable you to see outlines of these buildings
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in the regular Maps view.
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So by intelligently combining data
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from all of these sources,
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Maps can construct quite an accurate picture
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of any given patch of land pretty well,
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but even Google can't completely automate things, yet.
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They also use human employees
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in a project called Atlas to make necessary adjustments.
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One of this team's common tasks
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is to investigate user error reports
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and tweak routes on the map layer
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that clearly don't match up
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with a recent satellite image or street view capture.
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And this kind of user reporting
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reflects how crowdsourcing is another major piston
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in Google Maps' engine.
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And I'm not just talking about the photos you see
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on business listings, either.
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Google relies partially on volunteers
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to map areas it may have limited data on,
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something that's especially important
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in less developed countries,
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where it's harder for Google to send vehicles
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or get accurate mapping data from a government.
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Of course, Google uses other tricks, too,
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to flesh out the experience.
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Once upon a time, they licensed databases
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to dramatically expand how many businesses Maps would show,
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but these days, listings are pulled
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from other public sources and from business owners
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who are eager to take advantage
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of the visibility that Google Maps provides.
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Owners of large facilities have even submitted floor plans
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and granted Google permission to do site surveys
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to help you find your way around.
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This is particularly useful for sports arenas,
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shopping malls, and airports,
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and Google even works with a third-party service
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that keeps track of gas prices
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by looking at credit card data
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and even getting direct data feeds
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from major gas station chains.
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Finally, whether you realize you've signed up for it or not,
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Google also uses you.
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Location services and the GPS on your phone
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helps Google understand, on top of where it is,
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how to get there,
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and how many square feet of patio space is available,
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what times of day your favorite watering hole gets crowded.
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And they don't show you,
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but they probably know the demographic makeup
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of the clientele, too.
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Wow.
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So the real answer to how does Google Maps work
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is that Google simply has so many information gaps,
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and gathering tentacles,
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that if they were the star of a Japanese anime,
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I probably wouldn't watch it at work.
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