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Question of the Day: Are you keeping your Prime subscription?
Which website page is more intuitive?
- Thread starter Foxhound5366
- Start date
quovadis
Honorary Master
I think that it depends on the usage. Agreed on language however with crappy audio quality words are generally more audible than letters punctuation and letters. Either way they both solve problems.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
Thinking about this a bit further I had an aha-moment ... the fact that I had to ask the question about meant that I hadn't made the flow intuitive enough. So I've updated it again quickly, now it will take you directly to the fine-tune on map panel (with a catchy tagline) if it's your first time through, so there is zero chance of missing it and users who don't know how the system works will get the idea that they can fine-tune their addresses. Better?Happy to hear! I fell into the biggest trap of developing things for myself, and then realised I gotta make it way easier. Did you try the "fine-tune on map" button? I stripped all the unnecessary map controls to make it dead easy.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
I think that's debatable ... over a crappy line, is "triathlete" going to be confused with "triathletes"? Would "globes" be confused with "globs"?
When communication isn't clear, I think you could argue that the shorter the code that needs to be communicated, the fewer chances for miscommunication.
Really though, what3words doesn't work in text even ... if you had to enter a what3words address into an in-car satnav system, would you really want to bash out three words with your finger? It's just another case where shorter is better.
The simplest solution is direct URLs (and I've added purpose-appropriate 'share' URLs with every mapcode), but when you start thinking about all the 'classic' ways we still get addresses (on business cards, fliers, newspaper adverts, TV ads, radio), there's still a need for an 'address alternative' that has better accuracy and can be scribbled onto paper.
Dave
Honorary Master
I just noticed something with Mapcode, 83.CP isn’t a unique address for the V&A in Cape Town.
This is the default location when searching on Mapecode:
For the CT location your address needs to be ZA 83.CP.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
Haha Dave, it needs to be "ZAF 83.CP". That "ZAF" is generated on my site ... and is an implied part of the address. If you use my website, you'll see the ZAF is automatically added when you want to navigate to a mapcode. Try it out by clicking here: https://www.overhere.co.za/find-mapcode/?im=sm&t=ZAF&ma=83&mb=CP
You don't talk about the country code for the same reason when you share a physical address, you don't say "I'm in Sandton City, Johannesburg, South Africa". The assumption is that somebody coming to find you is in South Africa.
That's why a localised site like mine (which knows which assumptions to make - which is why it is overhere.co.za and not .com) bridges the gap. It still works for all country codes and addresses though, you just click on the country-code drop-down and you get the full list of options available (complete with the country names underneath).
Dave
Honorary Master
oh yeah, I meant ZAF, I notice ZA 83.CP is bizarrely in Mexico on Mapcodes.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
Hmm, dunno why it's trying to interpret it that way for you ... the Mexican country code is MEX. If you want to check that out, I've got a handy bi-directional converter I built for the mapcode library here: https://www.overhere.co.za/countrycodes/
If you click on my 'Show on map' link for 83.CP I shared above, you can change country locations in the drop-down to the left and then click on the 'Show on map' button to refresh the map to that location in other countries.
Dave
Honorary Master
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
Aah, there's your answer. Look under the map ... becaus ZA isn't a valid region, it's doing a fuzzy search and coming up with a mexican sub-region, MX-ZAC.
That's why I followed a more explicit approach with my site in terms of which country region is being referred to at all times.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
Oh and @Dave , seeing as you've been checking out the global Mapcode.com website, there's a little treat for you at the bottom of this page: https://www.mapcode.com/sample-applications
Dave
Honorary Master
For me or for you?
quovadis
Honorary Master
If I want to go somewhere I type or speak in the destination company name or search for it in any decent app and it'll pop up - I see the what3words thing being a niche product for emergency situations or areas rarely anyone goes. There's no way I'm going to type in triathlete green robot to go to a retail store or whatever - neither would i type ZAF 83.5 or whatever. This whole thing reminds me of the whole browser keyword url thing a decade or so ago where browsers linked keywords to companies which you paid for - then people just realised the first result in google was the same and it fell away.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
Well I was pretty stoked when it happened, I won't lie
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
There are more places that don't have physical addresses than places that do. Voice navigation is also imprecise even in the best cases: you might say "Navigate me to Sandton City", but which parkade entrance will Google Maps select for you?
As an example of the above, look at this location in the middle of an unnamed road in the Kruger National Park: https://www.overhere.co.za/find-mapcode/?im=sm&t=ZAF&ma=X983&mb=8PD
To drive there, you just need to click on this link (if you've got Google Maps installed it will open up after you click on Get Directions): https://www.overhere.co.za/get-directions/?im=gd&t=ZAF&ma=X983&mb=8PD
That's not really a fringe case for ER24: that sort of addressing flexibility will help you in a busy urban environment with poor street numbering, or out in the middle of nowhere where there aren't even roads (never mind street numbers).
quovadis
Honorary Master
But it still doesn't make it more convenient since most people will put in the destination and drive there. In the US navigation tends to put you at the closest parkade or entrance to the business - so if you say Macy's Union Square it'll take you to the convenient entrance and not necessarily the building itself especially if you're walking and not driving. I agree for fringe locations in the middle of nowhere but these days people drop a pin and send the pin to friends as part of an invite which negates the requirement too. My 2c.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
What destination would you put in for the exact location I referenced in my example? There is no possible physical address for that.
It's the same story at mega shopping malls ... Google trends to place the POI location at the centre of the building. With mapcodes, you would be in control to select the exact parking entrance you prefer (even one around the corner).
Have you never seen how terrible addresses are anywhere else? Shops tend to not be numbered visibly, and even if they were it contains no intelligence over which is the optimal parking lot to use for that specific shop, or which mall entrance is closest if you're walking. Surely you can see the benefit of that, over hoping that somebody at Google Maps was paying attention when capturing POIs?
quovadis
Honorary Master
The same as before - gps coords via facebook or whatsapp as a pin. Why bother with sending anything else?
Maybe in South Africa - I've had Google Maps take me to the entrance of a store with walking directions or the closest parking entrance too.
I get that especially informal or rural areas but that's a very specific use case. Most of the POI's are user driven these days anyway so it's no difference if I provide a pin on the closest entrance/parking or if I "magic cricket wedge' or 'ZAF 88.4' or whatever it.
Foxhound5366
Honorary Master
@quovadis, you really suggesting that GPS coordinates are a legitimate alternative for human use? No? Good, I hope not, coz there isn't a single case they'd be preferable.
And Quovadis, with all due respect I think you need to just experiment with the respective technologies a bit more. Every time Google Maps doesn't get you exactly where you want to get to, remember this conversation ;P The technology sells itself over time, I'm that sure of its benefits.
And Quovadis, with all due respect I think you need to just experiment with the respective technologies a bit more. Every time Google Maps doesn't get you exactly where you want to get to, remember this conversation ;P The technology sells itself over time, I'm that sure of its benefits.
The best thing about Open Location Code / plus codes is that they are calculable/there is an algorithm.
AFAIK mapcode requires a “database”