#LGCTM Tips & Tricks: Zoom AND Search

Combining Zoom with Text-based Searches is your new power tool when hunting for duplicates to remove. This tip will explain the strengths and weaknesses of Zooming versus doing Text-based Searches.

Fact # 1

You might think, that when you zoom in all the way on Google Maps, you will then see ALL the pins in that area. Sorry, that is not correct.

In highly populated areas there are way more pins than what can fit visually on the screen - even when zoomed all the way in. If they all showed up, then the map would look messy with several pins piled on top of each other covering those below. This would make the map unusable. So Google gives priority to popular pins and those most relevant to your search history and more*).

Fact # 2

This is where doing a Text-based Search comes in handy. Doing a Text Search will give you access to ALL the pins in the Google Maps database.

You are not limited to searching for names or parts of names. While zoomed in searching for categories or addresses can prove very powerful when searching for duplicates.

Conclusion

Combining the powers of Zooming and doing Text-based Searches is sometimes necessary to find duplicates.

Happy hunting for duplicates to remove. After finding some duplicates these guidelines can help you merge them.

This trick is presented as part of the Local Guides Clean The Map project (#LGCTM).

*) For more information on how Google uses relevance, distance, prominence, as well as your personal interests to decide which pins to show on your map click here.

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Hey @MortenCopenhagen ,

Thank you for presenting one more post with useful tips.

I am sure it will be highly appreciated by all Local Guides supporting or not the campaign.

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Another great post @MortenCopenhagen .

All I like to add is that we can all help prevent duplicate places to occur, by always (text) searching for a place before adding it as a missing place.

Happy mapping.

JeroenM

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Great addition, @JeroenM . Thanks. And along the same line: Don’t add (anyways) when Google suggests your new place already exists.

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Good point @MortenCopenhagen .

Helpful post, when you zoom in or out, block by block, street by street you can find a variety of duplicate places.

"The Exercise with the Zoom" is very important.

At least is what I do.

Thanks!

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Glad you liked it, @SebaasC .

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Using search before starting to add a missing place also saves you the frustration of first typing in everything and at the very end getting a pop up saying “Did you mean this place?”

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@MortenCopenhagen @JanVanHaver Fascinating!!! I decided to give this a try and my first search was for ATM… Why not I said :slightly_smiling_face: and less than a mile from where I am is a DUPLICATE ATM!!! Oh my!

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