Post date: Mar 4, 2016 1:44:46 AM
About seven or eight years ago, we bought a car and received a free Garmin navigation device as a bonus. The navigation unit was a slim rectangular box that we placed on the dashboard. We used it when we went out of town to a new place, especially out of state. We had to hook it up to the car for power and it was a little intimidating at first, learning how to select the letters to spell out the address while moving down the road. I was the navigator; Mike drove.
We soon learned that we did not always see eye to eye with the “little lady” in the Garmin box: we heard a lot of “Recalculating!” She wasn’t very flexible. We needed a pit stop, and she seemed to be fussing at us. Other times, we would see the route she preferred and choose a different one, while she repeatedly told us to turn around, take the next exit and recalculated. Still, there were a number of trips that she proved herself an invaluable guide. Mike joked that she always seemed relieved and pleased when we arrived at our destination.
Now, flash forward to January 2016 and we traded in that old car for a new one, a Suburban Forrester that comes with several displays screens and integrates the navigation into the dashboard. The technology has improved tremendously, and we look forward to exploring the country with our new car. The dramatic changes in GPS related technology now make it possible to use any number of apps that depend on location: do you need to know where the nearest Pizza place is located, or a Golf Course, or a gas station? Do you want to know where your husband is right now – is he still at work?
I use an iPhone & Android app called Life 360: Mike got it first and wanted me to be able to come find him if he had a problem with his bike on the recreation trail. You first create a family group, with each person signing up, and then you can click on a family member’s icon and it shows you where that person is located on a map. We joked that we could stalk each other; however, when my grown daughter is driving back and forth from Indiana, I love the app because I can track her progress across country. Many apps rely on the basics of GPS to help family members and friends stay connected.
By the way, what is it about preferring women’s voices for all of our modern digital personas? If men don’t like to stop and ask for directions, is it Ironic that they will listen to Siri, Alexa, or the GPS lady on their car? As a child of the 1960s, it makes me think of the female computer on Star Trek, voiced by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. She also played Nurse Christine Chapel and had a soothing voice: I would have followed her step by step guidance. In contrast, there is the computer in 2001: Space Odyssey. Sure, Hal had a male voice, but he was sort of neurotic and look at how well he turned out: I don’t think I would want to follow his directions. Finally, there was the robot on the 1960’s show Lost in Space: it also used a male voice, but let’s face it, they were LOST in space because the evil Dr. Smith messed with the robot’s programming. So maybe the decision to use female voices was based on pretty solid reasoning.
However, all of this technology relies on one simple thing: the accuracy of the satellite photos and the ability of the various mapping systems to update themselves as changes are made. So what happens when the Google maps are wrong? Since I am recovering from foot surgery and scooting around in a wheelchair, I have had several wonderful At Home aides coming in to help fix lunch, do light chores around the house, or help me wash my hair. Several got lost last week and had to call and apologize because their GPS sent them miles the wrong way.
That got me thinking. I went to Google maps and typed in my address. I was shocked to see that when I put the map on satellite view it was more than a year and a half old: our new housing development did not exist. Instead of finished Villas, I saw four foundations for Villas and two larger ones for the Memory Cottages down the street. We moved in on the last day of February in 2015. So these images look like they were taken the previous summer or in the early fall of 2014.
I discovered two interesting things: first, when you are on Google maps, you can suggest edits. If it is a business, you can type in the name, address, phone number and type of business it is. You will get an email thanking you and letting you know that they are reviewing the information.
Second, you can also go to a website called https://followyourworld.appspot.com/. This is pretty cool: it is a Beta product that lets you search for your location and then mark the spot: you can sign up to get an alert about the next time they update the map for Google maps and Google earth. It includes a useful Frequently Asked questions. You can follow up to 500 spots and be alerted when they make updates.
I also discovered as I read more about GPS, and the satellites used for them, is that it is typical to use images that are 1 to 3 years old for Google Maps. So you might want to allow more time if you are heading for an area with a lot of new construction, and call ahead for directions!
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Here are some of the resources I mentioned in my blog post
Follow Your World -- https://followyourworld.appspot.com/ -- (Get alerts when Google updates Google maps and Google earth)
Google maps -- http://www.google.com/maps
Life 360 -- https://www.life360.com (App for Smartphones that lets you track family members)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_Space -- Lost in Space
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG0ochx16Dg -- Lost in Space video. Danger Will Robinson!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/quotes -- 2001: A Space Odyssey (Remember the line, HAL 9000: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that")
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majel_Barrett -- The Voice of the Computer on the Original Star Trek series was that of Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.
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Last updated March 3, 2016