A recent drive through Vernon, British Columbia, revealed a curious issue with Google Maps that highlights potential flaws in its address mapping system. A few weeks ago, while attempting to navigate to 3207 30th Ave, the app confidently directed me to 3207 34th Ave, a location situated four blocks north. Luckily, my passenger caught the discrepancy before we followed the erroneous instructions. This incident raised eyebrows about the reliability of Google Maps in accurately mapping addresses.

A few days later, my cousin, who knows I have experience with Google, reached out for assistance regarding a similar problem. The address 138 W 6th Ave in Vancouver was inaccurately mapped to a location 2.4 kilometers away from its actual position. This bizarre discrepancy led me to test the app's ability to provide directions between 136 W 6th Ave and 138 W 6th Ave. Despite these two addresses being adjacent to each other, Google Maps suggested an illogical and lengthy detour.

In another amusing example, if one searches for Clark & Page Casting Studios on Google Maps and then asks for directions from its own address, the app indicates a 2.4-kilometer walk to itself instead of just a few steps. Similarly, navigating from 138 W 6th Ave Unit 1B to 138 W 6th Ave #2b yields a 2.4-kilometer trek, despite being within the same building.

These inaccuracies have real-world repercussions, particularly for aspiring actors who have been arriving late to auditions as a result of the app's faulty directions. The more I explored Google Maps, the more I discovered other addresses that seemed to be misrepresented. For instance, 1951 W 19th Ave in Vancouver was incorrectly mapped to a location that is 2.1 kilometers away from where it logically should be situated. Instead of appearing in the 1900 block of W 19th Ave, it was located ten blocks away.

Another puzzling case involved 1355 W 17th Ave, which was positioned in Vancouver rather than its correct location in North Vancouver, even though it was on the right street (W 17th Ave) but in the wrong block (the 900 block instead of the 1300 block). Interestingly, W 17th Ave does not even exist in North Vancouver, adding to the confusion. What could be causing these errors? Is it simply a matter of typos or a glitch in the system?

Upon further investigation, it appears that some of these errors could stem from typographical mistakes. For example, 138 W 6th Ave is incorrectly placed where one would expect 1038 W 16th Ave, a pair of single-digit errors that suggest multiple mistakes were made when entering the data. However, upon inspection, I found that 1038 W 16th Ave does not even exist, with addresses jumping straight from 1020 to 1040.

In the case of 3207 30th Ave in Vernon, a confusion between '30' and '34' might explain the error. For 1951 W 19th Ave, I found it was mapped to the location where 951 W 19th Ave should logically be, creating another single-digit mix-up. This particular instance is less problematic since both addresses are located near the same area. However, 1355 W 17th Ave presents a more complex issue, as it was erroneously placed adjacent to a building that does not even correspond to the correct city.

Another anomaly I encountered was with 5 Montcalm St in Vancouver, which is actually situated in the 1300 block of Montcalm. After visiting the location, I found that the correct address is 1131 W 16th Ave. The '5' observed on one of the doors refers to a unit number within the building rather than a street number, further complicating the address mapping.

This situation raises critical concerns about how Google Maps processes and verifies address data. It appears that an underlying database, possibly created from Google Maps itself or sourced from municipal data, is responsible for these errors. When an address is entered, the database maps it to a geographical parcel without adequate sanity checks to verify its accuracy. Potential checks could include ensuring the parcel is within the geographical bounds of the city, close to the indicated street name, and within the correct hundred-block range.

Unfortunately, it seems that such checks are not in place, leading to numerous misrepresented addresses. The rapid discovery of five errors in just two cities suggests that thousands more may exist. Google Maps may use an address database and be equipped to make educated guesses about non-existent locations, but when it comes to actual address validity, the system appears to falter.

Interestingly, I reached out to the business located at 138 W 6th Ave, and they mentioned that these mapping problems began around mid-March. Many users have likely experienced similar frustrations, as noted during my investigation.

In an effort to rectify these issues, I submitted feedback to Google Maps about the incorrect pin locations. While I have previously had success with this feedback tool, my latest attempt did not yield quick results. Although I received an email confirming my edit was accepted, after two weeks, the address remains inaccurately mapped.
However, I did have better luck with the edit for 3207 30th Ave, which changed successfully within a week. Yet, the promised quick turnaround time is disappointing.

Ultimately, the most critical errors are those that misplace actual addresses, as they can lead individuals to incorrect locations, while less pressing inaccuracies involve nonexistent addresses being mapped to illogical places. It is imperative for Google to address these issues to improve user experience and ensure accurate navigation.

Have you encountered similar mapping discrepancies? If you have insights or experiences to share, please contribute in the comments. Those involved with Google Maps are also encouraged to reach out for further discussion about these challenges.