Locations and directions
When I search the internet for places, I often find that
locations and directions are incomplete or incorrect.
In this blog, I give location as coordinates, decimal and
hexadecimal, linked to googlemaps. There are other worldwide map services (bing
by Microsoft, openstreetmap, here by Nokia) or local map services (Nostra map
in Thailand, Michelin in France), but googlemaps is the most widespread and
detailed.
In general google maps is a great tool, I find most of the
places I am looking for and it has even small alleys. Occasionally, a location
or a name is wrong (I don’t just bitch about it, I send corrections). Often,
names of streets load slowly which is annoying when I know the name of the
street I’m in and want to see on a map where it is.
Usually I know where I am, I just need a map of the area and
not so much GPS. In 2013 I got this information instantaneous and without GPS,
probably from the mobile phone network cell I was in. This service seems to have been
abolished, now I always have to wait for GPS which can take minutes. Whereas location from WiFi network still works.
I try to provide address in Thai and in English, and
location relative to a landmark (bank with their color, 7/11 with name and branch number, other buildings).
Directions by public transport: in Bangkok MRT or BTS station with
number of exit, bus line,
canal boat or river boat with stop name or number and distance and geographic location of place relative to station or stop.
Outside Bangkok number of highway that goes past a place,
with km marker on hwy if possible, and distance and geographic
location from hwy and nearest town.
My geography teacher once said “There is no up, down, right, left on a map; it’s north, south, east, west!”.
My geography teacher once said “There is no up, down, right, left on a map; it’s north, south, east, west!”.
I usually know the compass directions when I walk around.
Highway marker in Phrae:
อ.ศรีสัชนาลัย 73 (73 km to Sri Satchanalai)
ลำปาง 84 (84 km to Lampang)
11 กม. 376 (highway 11, km 376)
อ.เด่นชัย 11 (11 km to Den Chai)
แพร่ 28 (28 km to Phrae)
I spotted mistakes in maps that are total nonsense: railway
from Hua Lampong southwards across the river (the MRT extension goes west) or a
MRT station Bon Gai between MRT Lumpini and MRT Klong Toey. There have never
been such projects, these mistakes are called trap street and are a means to
detect copyright violations.
The funniest address ever:
Linda Lykes The Cock Inn Erbum Tillet Herts
Copyright 2015 ChristianPFC except last picture
I retract part of my praise of google maps. There were roads marked in the map that didn't exist as often as there were roads that I wouldn't have found without google maps. Many wrong locations, or places listed under various slightly different names. I have submitted close to 100 improvements already. Now I double check (with satellite view, street view or user's pictures) to make sure the place I want to go to is in the right location on map. Nonetheless a valuable tool.
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