Google fills in the blanks on North Korea map data
Google has announced comprehensive new mapping data on North Korea, enlisting a team of citizen cartographers to chart the country's gulags, nuclear facilities and golf courses. The reclusive dictatorship has been one of the few areas of the world where the Chocolate Factory has not managed to poke its beak in, but thanks to its …
This topic is closed for new posts.
Wasn't Schmitt wearing Google Goggles™? Coincidence? I think not.
@ mIRCat
Depends, do those Google Goggles come in rose-tinted?????
Kim Knob is most displeased with this event.
Expect long range rocket to land on HQ in retaliation.
Reliable
How do Google know that the data is reliable? How does it know that the data was supplied by citizens, and not a room full of North Korean intelligence operatives?
How does it know that it was even *North* Koreans submitting the information? If you were a North Korean, that was lucky enough to receive dispensation from the NK governement to even *have* an internet connection (you can't phone your ISP and ask them to pop 'round and connect you up) do you think they'd risk their lives, and that of their family by performing "spying" duties for foriegn countries?
I call balls on this one.
Re: Reliable
The same way they know for everything else, I gather. They check with satellite data.
Inevitably, people have now started putting reviews for the Hoeryong gulag.
Re: Reliable
The same way you validate any crowd sourced data - by comparing the submissions from multiple people.
While it is possible for a major conspiracy to taint the data, typically a large number of individual contributors will supply the same point data, and the law of averages allows you to work out how much you trust that data.
As for "spying duties" - Google Map Maker doesn't list this as one of its purposes, so your average user wouldn't think twice about using something that was going to help their community - and Community help is what Google is selling, isn't it? (rhetorical)
And besides, I doubt the Merkin Armed Forces are going to be using it - they have their own data sources which they choose to trust.
They waited ....
... until Eric Schmidt had left North Korea before announcing this. Quite sensible really.
Re: They waited ....
As soon as he left the country they announced plans to hit the US with their missile, coincidence? Maybe the puffy leader hoped he brought in some chocolate from the Chocolate Factory - that's why he was allowed to enter - and when there was none the puffy leader got angry and asked a missile to hit Google...
Re: They waited ....
You don't perhaps think that part of the reason for his visit was to mention the data?
For Google's sake...
I hope the North Korean government doesn't hold a patent on "mapping North Korea".
Re: For Google's sake...
Really!
Are you stupid!!
Apple own the patent!!!
it is... inevudubul...
mine's the one with the valmorification device in the pocket.
Looks like they've been enlisting Cupertino's help..
http://goo.gl/maps/C60jM
If you search for the Hoeryong concentration camp, you can read the reviews. Seems it doesn't get many favourable ones. I can't imagine why...also, what do you suppose a "Treshing House" is for? On second thoughts, maybe I'd rather not know.
Openstreetmap
Openstreetmap has much more detail for NK.
Sure, I can't vouch for its reliability, but for many places there's much more information in OSM than GMaps.
Look at Pyongyang:
OSM: http://osm.org/go/55doqful--
GMaps: http://goo.gl/maps/Wv7kV
Unsurprisingly...
...there are already trolls posting reviews on landmarks in North Korea. One of my favourites is for the Golf Course of Yanggakdo Hotel:
"Communist Great Leader defeated Capitalist President Tiger Woods in sword fighting on this course. Capitalist President Tiger Woods then lost his wife, his family and his groove. His game has never fully recovered from the sword beating received by Great Leader."
This topic is closed for new posts.
