Google Maps' Experimental Walking Directions of the Future.

tempus_fugit

The compass on iOS devices works flawlessly but I've not had an Android phone that had a decent compass ever. They lose calibration very quickly and you have to keep calibrating it, which is a pain. It's the one aspect of Android phones I don't like and it does make walking using Google Maps a bit of a problem, but I don't use it often enough for it to be a major inconvenience.

Johnmcl7

dealer_wins wrote: »

I never understand how the walking directions spin around on the phone and go haywire. I mean phones have GPS, compass etc why doesnt it work properly like when using it in a car?

GPS isn't very accurate but this is an easier problem to deal with in the car, firstly the car is mostly going at speed so the system can easily work out which direction the car is going. On foot however the distance between each reading is very small compared to the inaccuracy of the GPS receiver so it can look like you're going forward, then going back. then going sideways, then back etc.

On the car the system assumes if the GPS reading is near a road then the car is on that road whereas with pedestrians it's more difficult as pedestrians can walk many more places which can confuse the system. This issue is quite noticeable at low speeds on the car when going through junctions and roundabouts as the system can momentarily get it wrong which road you went down before it realises you're on a different road. There's some cases I've been driving down a dual carriageway road with a 30mph road running nearby and the sat nav momentarily placed me on that road before realising I was still on the main road.

I tried using sat nav on a train at one point as I was curious about how fast it was going and where exactly I was but the system went haywire as it's so dependent on being able to lock to a road, it couldn't understand moving at speed off road at all.

Neil_Jones

Getting stuck in a traffic jam and crawling along at pedestrian speeds confuses the heck out of Google Maps, suggesting I pull off somewhere and do a u-turn to get back on the main road I haven't even left.

[Deleted User]

Until Google catches up, I find the walking directions from the "Here WeGo" app to be very good when trying to navigate an unfamiliar city centre.

ChrisK....._3

This is about Google maps walking mode, in which case its simply not possible to guide any walker in the right direction because walking speed is too slow for GPS to establish the direction anyone is walking. I realised this after using it more times than anyone else on the planet and it seems that Google have now eventually conceded and introduced this new system.

RumRat wrote: »

Look at map, look at surroundings, determine correct direction of travel, start walking.......Using that formula, I've not headed off on the wrong track yet with it.....;):D

RumRat

ChrisK..... wrote: »

This is about Google maps walking mode, in which case its simply not possible to guide any walker in the right direction because walking speed is too slow for GPS to establish the direction anyone is walking. I realised this after using it more times than anyone else on the planet and it seems that Google have now eventually conceded and introduced this new system.

Thanks for explaining the thread title.
OK, so you couldn't use it.....I had no problems using it in London Birmingham or Liverpool in the last couple of months. Must have been a fluke. I'm glad they've fixed it for you.

Congratulations on your record.:cool: How many times did it take before you realised it was not possible for you to use it?