this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2023

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292

Hikers rescued after following non-existent trail on Google Maps (www.smh.com.au)

submitted 2 years ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

28 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hikers rescued after following non-existent trail on Google Maps::It was unclear how the trail in British Columbia had appeared on Google Maps in the first place.

all 31 comments

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[–] baatliwala@lemmy.world 37 points 2 years ago (4 children)

I use Osmand for trails in the woods, it is decently accurate in my country and also has a ton of other features

[–] kenbw2@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yea it's clunky as hell and unusable for driving, but as a browsable walking map it's the best

[–] Mr_nutter_butter@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Organic maps

[–] Amends1782@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Is not much better unfortunately, searching is garbage too

[–] Mr_nutter_butter@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

I've had some good luck but it definitely needs some work still

[–] _s10e@feddit.de 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I'm also a happy osmand+ user, but once i got lost in the middle of a field / bush. I'm sure there was a trail once, but not safe to follow. Said bush was not very dense, so we though multiple times: Ok, this could be the way. Or that path?

[–] DrM@feddit.de 5 points 2 years ago

Was the same for me this vacation. Gladly we were on a smaller mountain which was completely surrounded by villages, so we knew that just going down the mountain would lead to a bus that could bring us to the hotel, so we didnt care that much.

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I use my eyes and generic sense of direction.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago

+rep for osmand

[–] Uglyhead@lemmy.world 37 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Downloading the All Trails app, or something like it, and using that would have helped a lot.

[–] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 37 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I'm waiting for them to hook up bard to google maps so we can do AI Hallucination Vacations. I can't wait to see the world's largest pistachio manhole machine carnival that happens in the middle of the Mississippi river!

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

There's no cure for stupid. Where I live a year of two ago they had to rescue a lady with kids from a trail because it got late they didn't had any headlamps. The lady said she didn't realize it will get dark. Seriously? You think there are street lamps in the mountains or something?

If they were following a trail using a GPS they could always just follow it back. If you don't know the trail and GPS is you only lifeline make sure you have enough power for the whole day and some more. Have a backup device. If the trail gets hard make sure you can follow it in the opposite direction. Those are all basic things. There's really nothing you can do to stop stupid people from walking into mountains and calling for help. Google Maps has nothing to do with it.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 12 points 2 years ago

Around me people are always going hiking in flip-flops, shorts and a t-shirt and then nearly freeze to death because while it is warm on the ground, it's cold in the air.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

Yeah Google Maps has a bad habit of doing that. Follow the trail signs folks, not the Google.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

welcome to everywhere in southeast Asia basically

[–] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

https://youtu.be/DOW_kPzY_JY?si=PQAlethlggD0ofaD

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[+] raptir@lemdro.id -10 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I can't understand why someone would use Google Maps instead of something built for purpose like GaiaGPS or Alltrails when hiking.

[–] IonAddis@lemmy.world 78 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Whenever I "can't understand" something, I stop for a moment, and start interrogating my own assumptions of how the world works, because I clearly made an assumption of how the world or how people in general work and need to correct my own thinking.

It's very hard to change how others do things. Much easier to start on yourself.

[–] gregorum@lemm.ee 32 points 2 years ago

A good rule of thumb, I find is: instead of asking, “how can people think X?” ask, “why do people think X?” It puts one into an open-minded mindset in which one can learn something new rather than a close-minded and oppositional mindset.

[–] systemglitch@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago

A surprisingly enlightening comment for social media, thank you.

[+] helenslunch@feddit.nl 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

[deleted]

[–] CmdrShepard@lemmy.one 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The alternative is blindly following some other app into the wilderness though. Doesn't seem like such a cut and dry example of stupidity.

[–] DoomsdaySprocket@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

To be fair, Vancouver, BC is a popular spot for tourists, especially those doing outdoor activities, who I suppose may come from places with a different hiking and trail culture, and different types of signage. Maybe Google maps is more accurate where they’re from? Maybe they just didn’t realize how much landscape detail the tree cover can hide. Lots of folks who come here don’t speak a lot of English in my experience as well. It’s still on them, though.

I’m not even a hiker though, the trails are just too packed full of people for me here.

[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 61 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Cause they’ve never heard of those and Google is preinstalled.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

Probably, or they didn’t plan ahead so went with what they had

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 years ago

And Google doesn't exactly say their maps are incomplete or are wrong, and if you are going someplace you absolutely need accurate maps, you should use something else. They just say they are best in class map service, and there is little to disprove that.. until the worst happens.

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

because Google maps DOES list hiking trails. And for the popular trails it's accurate enough. People who have used Google maps to guide their first 5 trails will be led to believe that their 6th one will be just fine and dandy.