Mapping software that can give directions the way human navigator would.
When I’m driving in my own city, my mapping software should be intelligent enough to know that I am aware of most of the roads; it can track me.
I don’t need to hear
“Keep straight on Highway 101 West signs for Highway 101 West for 300m, then take exit 104 South signs for Highway 104 South, take exit 104A South signs for 104 South, merge onto Highway 104 South signs for 104 South. Go straight on Highway 104 South for 400m then take the left lane and turn left on route 40 Eastbound signs for route 40. Boodle-ding you are on the correct route. In 200m turn left onto route 40 Eastbound signs for route 40 Eastbound. Turn left onto route 40 Eastbound signs for route 40 Eastbound.”
… When what is needed in a realistic sense is the following:
“In 300m take the exit to 104 Southbound then after 400 m, turn left at the first set of lights onto route 40”
Sadly, that description was motivated by a direct experience I had a few days ago with Google maps.
But I’ve definitely had that other experience as well, where the next leg of the trip is to go straight for 20 minutes, and Google Maps chimes-in every 30 seconds to remind me to stay straight.
The most recent meaningful upgrade I have seen in the software is that instead of deciding to either play each piece of audio through the phone speaker or the Bluetooth, quite at random, it will now play things through the Bluetooth. Livin’ in 2024.
That would be a meaningful improvement. I moved - basically sight unseen - a year ago to a new town. Day one I needed every bit of turn by turn. Now, if I’m headed to any of the four or five places I bother to go, I just set up the map as a CYA and a simple “yep, make that turn you’re planning on” would be sufficient.
Then there’s a 90 minute trip i make every two weeks, that I know fairly well but not like I’d know a daily drive. The first hour is “Jump on 74 west, take exit for 57 south, and go a ways”. That part I have down cold obv.
After I get onto hwy 36 tho, damned if I can remember where the (poorly marked) left turn onto CR 1300 is.
Better still would be an adaptive mode. Leave me tf alone with my CCR playlist until I’m within a couple miles of that poorly marked turn. THEN help me out with a gentle reminder.
The hour or so of instructions prior to that point are wasted and would be pretty easy for AI to figure out I don’t need help on that part.
Mapping software that can give directions the way human navigator would.
When I’m driving in my own city, my mapping software should be intelligent enough to know that I am aware of most of the roads; it can track me.
I don’t need to hear
“Keep straight on Highway 101 West signs for Highway 101 West for 300m, then take exit 104 South signs for Highway 104 South, take exit 104A South signs for 104 South, merge onto Highway 104 South signs for 104 South. Go straight on Highway 104 South for 400m then take the left lane and turn left on route 40 Eastbound signs for route 40. Boodle-ding you are on the correct route. In 200m turn left onto route 40 Eastbound signs for route 40 Eastbound. Turn left onto route 40 Eastbound signs for route 40 Eastbound.”
… When what is needed in a realistic sense is the following:
“In 300m take the exit to 104 Southbound then after 400 m, turn left at the first set of lights onto route 40”
That’s kind of what the old Google Maps did 20 years ago. Now Google Maps will yell you to exit a highway in order to stay on that highway.
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Sadly, that description was motivated by a direct experience I had a few days ago with Google maps.
But I’ve definitely had that other experience as well, where the next leg of the trip is to go straight for 20 minutes, and Google Maps chimes-in every 30 seconds to remind me to stay straight.
The most recent meaningful upgrade I have seen in the software is that instead of deciding to either play each piece of audio through the phone speaker or the Bluetooth, quite at random, it will now play things through the Bluetooth. Livin’ in 2024.
That would be a meaningful improvement. I moved - basically sight unseen - a year ago to a new town. Day one I needed every bit of turn by turn. Now, if I’m headed to any of the four or five places I bother to go, I just set up the map as a CYA and a simple “yep, make that turn you’re planning on” would be sufficient.
Then there’s a 90 minute trip i make every two weeks, that I know fairly well but not like I’d know a daily drive. The first hour is “Jump on 74 west, take exit for 57 south, and go a ways”. That part I have down cold obv.
After I get onto hwy 36 tho, damned if I can remember where the (poorly marked) left turn onto CR 1300 is.
Better still would be an adaptive mode. Leave me tf alone with my CCR playlist until I’m within a couple miles of that poorly marked turn. THEN help me out with a gentle reminder.
The hour or so of instructions prior to that point are wasted and would be pretty easy for AI to figure out I don’t need help on that part.