I would like to mention some problems of Google Maps in the context of Bangladesh which cannot be explained by pictures.
Google has many features. One such wonderful feature is Google Maps. A few days ago, if you wanted to go somewhere, you had to ask others to know the way. But in today’s digital era, thanks to Google Maps, everything in the world is now known. The use of Google Maps is increasing day by day. Everyone knows more or less the rules of using Google Maps. It has various amazing features to use. Some of these are –
- Traffic congestion is known
- Use Google Maps Lite at low cost
- Using Google Map without using internet
- Ability to measure distance to any place
- Various route options and estimated time to reach a particular destination
- Where I am can be updated at any moment
- How do I know where I am now?
- Photo, Review and Contact no. of a place
- And of course a tour plan, etc.
Apart from above not only mapping facilities are available from Google Maps, it also provides many other facilities such as reviews, photos, open/close time, contact address, distance, directions, road traffic, navigation settings, incognito mode, map download for offline use, Google assistant, multiple stops in trip, set reminder before exit, change icon, customize public transit options including walk, real time location share, location business, avoid toll road, timeline, favorite place, parking etc. at the same time about any place.
Google tracks your phone’s location in several ways.
- GPS – Google can track the phone’s GPS location through about 20 artificial satellites.
- Wi-Fi – If the phone is connected to Wi-Fi, Google Maps can track the Wi-Fi location of the phone from that Wi-Fi location.
- Mobile network- Google map can know the location of the phone from the location of the mobile network.
As a local guide I can currently contribute the following to the map.
- Places that are not yet on the map can be added to the map.
- If the information of the places on the map is wrong or not updated then I can fix it.
- Review any place on the map.Upload pictures or videos of places.
- Add the name of this food by editing the food image.
- Rate a place from 1 to 5.
- The map automatically asks some Yes/No questions about the places I’ve been. I can answer them which will be useful to others later.
- Verify the accuracy of any information added by other local guides through fact check.Ask about any place on the map.
My workplace is in Dhaka so I often have to go out for work. Besides, I am a traveller, so I travel to different places in Bangladesh. In Dhaka, traffic is a constant which a recent World Bank analysis found eats up 3.2 million working hours per day. In the last 10 years, the average traffic speed has crawled down from 21 km/hour to a meager 7 km/hour, which is barely more than average walking speed. So when I go out I take the help of Google Maps. But often I have to face the problems below and but I have no workarounds.
- Due to weak mobile network signals, location cannot be seen accurately. Maybe I can download an offline map for this but it has no way of understanding the traffic.
- To go to different places in Bangladesh, you have to go to the launch. But there is no way to select launch as transport mode in Google Maps.
- Some roads in Bangladesh have enforced speed limits. While driving on the road, you have to pay attention to the signal, you have to pay attention to the various indicators on the road. Breaking the speed limit is a punishable offense. Google Maps has brought a new feature so that the speed limit is not broken and its alert is available on the phone itself in many countries. But we haven’t got this benefit yet.
- The Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) has started the process of replacing telephone numbers to modernise the existing telecommunication network. Current telephone numbers of 8, 9 and 10 digits will be replaced with new 11-digit numbers. But Google Maps can’t update them. For instance, the existing +88-02-9887488 telephone number of Gulshan area in Dhaka City will be replaced by +88-02-2222-87488.
- In Bangladesh, Google Maps shows some roads in suburbs of a city and rural areas, may be those roads do not exist or are not suitable for cars.
- A big irony in Bangladesh is to add your own house and keep it public. Due to which Google Maps is becoming a mess. So soon either the house should be added or it should be privatized.
- In Bangladesh, the rule is to drive slowly in front of schools, colleges and hospitals. Since schools, colleges, hospitals are on Google Maps, Google Maps should warn if the vehicle is near them.
- The picture of road management in Bangladesh is very dire. Various roads have numerous dangerous turns. These bends are like death traps. Google Maps should pay a little extra attention to over-warning these dangerous turns.
Numerous accidents are happening on the roads and highways of Bangladesh and the number of accidents is increasing day by day. If extra caution is given through Google Maps, accidents will be reduced to some extent.
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Kachua