Uncover the hidden gems and quirky discoveries of Google Maps’ volunteer guides, who bring a touch of humanity to the world’s most widely used navigation tool.
The Power of Human Touch in Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service developed by Google.
It provides satellite imagery, street maps, and real-time traffic updates.
The service is available on desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and even smartwatches.
Google Maps uses GPS data to provide turn-by-turn directions, allowing users to navigate unfamiliar areas with ease.
Over 1 billion people use Google Maps each month, making it one of the most widely used mapping services in the world.
There’s a certain kind of person who looks at ‘for fun’ on Google Maps. I am that person. As a kid, I went through a cartography phase, drawing elaborate maps of fictional islands and poring over the family street directory to reconcile the lines and dots with the streets, shops, and friends’ houses in my mind’s eye. This phase never really ended.
Uncovering Hidden Gems
Much like some people pull up a movie’s ‘IMDb entry’ the second they start watching, I fire up Google Maps whenever I come across an interesting town, country, or geographical oddity. I’m no ‘GeoGuessr savant’, but I’ve spent many pleasant hours puzzling over enclaves and panhandles or pootling around far-flung locales in Street View.
The Volunteer Guides
Volunteer guides are individuals who provide assistance and guidance to visitors, tourists, or participants in various settings such as museums, national parks, and event venues.
They often undergo training to ensure they can effectively communicate information about the location, its history, and its significance.
According to a study, 70% of volunteer guides report feeling a sense of personal satisfaction from their role.
Volunteer guides play a crucial role in enhancing visitor experiences and promoting cultural understanding.
The key to Google Maps‘ power lies in its volunteer workforce of obsessive ‘local guides.’ Clicking on these profiles feels vaguely illicit, like you’re tracking them for Asio. These users log their every move, amassing hundreds of reviews of everything from restaurants to payphones, detailing opening hours, accessibility features, and taking some of the worst food photography you’ve ever seen.
Quirky Discoveries
Scientists have made numerous quirky discoveries throughout history, often leading to groundbreaking breakthroughs.
For instance, the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928 was an accidental finding when he left a petri dish uncovered, allowing mold to grow and kill off surrounding bacteria.
Similarly, X-rays were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895 after noticing a fluorescent screen glowing due to unknown radiation.
These unexpected findings demonstrate the importance of serendipity in scientific research.
Some Google Maps discoveries feel like stumbling into someone else’s private joke. Not far from my girlfriend’s house, an unremarkable piece of tarmac has been dubbed ‘Tristan’s Roundabout’ – its reviews tab populated with tourist selfies and comically overblown praise for the intersection and the eponymous Tristan.
The Joy of Imperfection
This is where the real joy of Google Maps lies: in the moments when you get to see humans being playful with the otherwise prosaic tools at their disposal. It’s in the social media bots showcasing random restaurants and new towns every hour, pegged to Google Maps data.
- theguardian.com | Looking for the last human place on the internet? Try Google Maps
