How to correct wrongly labeled places

[Mark_W]

Is this the best way to notify Google that the current label, while technically correct, is not the best label? In this instance, a VA (Veterans Affairs) outpatient medical clinic is identified (labeled) on Google Maps with the name of one of the pharmacists who works at the clinic. Here is what I did - please let me know if this is the most effective way to notify Google that a change in labeling is in order. 

First, I read the Help Desk article, How do I report a problem on Google Maps?. I followed one of the suggestions in the article - I opened the left-side menu (see the article), then selected Send feedback > Your opinions about Maps. Using the submission form that then appeared, I highlighted the building location and wrote in the free text field:

If one looks at the map for this area, even close-up, 982 Chambers Street is labeled as Arthur L Harwood, PharmD. However, most people probably are looking for the VA Outpatient Clinic at 982 Chambers Street. I suspect that Arthur Harwood is a pharmacist at the VA Outpatient Clinic. My suggestion is to change the pharmacist's listing to VA Outpatient Clinic: Arthur L Harwood, PharmD, and make the main label VA Outpatient Clinic. Thanks!

[Jagadeesh_Reddy]

What is the correct one @Mark_W 🙂 

[Flash · Accepted solution]

Hi Mark,

Unfortunately such a submission is not necessarily going to get the issue fixed.  The Opinions section is more for collecting feedback and has no guarantee of getting your issue fixed.

Certain professionals are permitted their own listing on the map.  For example, Dr. John P Castro and Dr. Andrew L. Juergens also has a professional listing here.  So likely this is intended to be a professional listing.  Whether it is proper is questionable, as pharmacists normally do not qualify for such a listing.

What has happened is that the professional listing and the clinic listing have become merged.  There is actually two names for this place, but when you click on it you only see the one marked as being the primary name (in this case the clinic name).

At this time we don't have a way to see nor edit the additional names on a feature.  That was a feature in the advanced editing tool Map Maker that has since been retired.  What you could do is use the "Your Opinions" section of Feedback to express your desire to see the ability to edit all names of features.  Google partially uses public opinion to help it prioritize future changes.

[Mark_W]

Thanks Flash. I wondered if "feedback" would lead to changes as much as the other methods. It helps to know some of the details. Much appreciated. 🐵

I forgot that I had also submitted a correction to the Pharmacist's listing, using the standard Maps edit suggestion tool. And it was approved already! 

The planets must be in the proper alignment.  ;^]

[Flash]

---

I forgot that I had also submitted a correction to the Pharmacist's listing, using the standard Maps edit suggestion tool. And it was approved already! 

---

I'm a little concerned that perhaps the wrong edit was done.

Was this completely in the pharmacists name before?  And did you then change it to the clinic name?

I ask because we never change one feature to be a different one.  This is because the many resources Google uses are set up as feeds into features, and so when you change a POI the feeds remain for the former feature.

If this was completely in the pharmacist's name then we'll need to get it changed back to prevent future issues, and then we can work on the additional changes necessary to get everything set up correctly.

[Mark_W]

If by "completely in the pharmacist's name" you mean that his name and only his name showed up as the label for the building, the answer is YES. 

Thanks for catching this as I definitely don't want to gum up the works. My primary objective is to make sure that veterans can find the Clinic easily. 

All the best,

Mark 

[Flash]

Well then let's work on getting this properly fixed 🙂

As you can see via the two links to the doctors, there's actually multiple POIs here but only one showing.  This is a fact everywhere on the map, there is too much information to show it all so algorithms pick what will have permanently showing place labels.

So there is the possibility that there was already a POI that represented the clinic, but you did not see it.

For that reason we don't want to just search for the clinic and change it the pharmacist's name; it might not actually be the same POI that you changed.

Instead please go into your list of contributions in Maps and click on your edit there to get to the feature, and then please see if you can make an edit to return the name to exactly what it was before.

[Malarik]

Hi,  Since I am in the medical field, as well as, a patient, I am acutely aware

of the challenges to get practices listed properly especially in really "dense"

buildings with loads of different types, doing different things.  Even when you

are right there, it is confusing. If you add the reluctance of many clinicians,

concerns about "HIPPA", and the non-paranoid fact that you will almost 

always find a negative reviewer....since our healthcare system is broken.

I regret that I cannot offer a great solution.  I find most listing to be almost

hilariously out of date & in error on the internet.  Sometimes this is done

on purpose, or for safety reasons if you treat felons or gang members.

The VA system or for that matter any huge system, will be even more 

challenging, because you are now dealing with either the government

or managed care.  Sadly, the are more & more gate-keepers, for all kinds

of reasons.

Anyway, thank you for you attempts at improvement & access.

Take care.

-Paul

[Mark_W]

Instead please go into your list of contributions in Maps and click on your edit there to get to the feature, and then please see if you can make an edit to return the name to exactly what it was before.

I must be mistaken because the label has not changed. (I refreshed my browser.)

I would be great if there was an option to indicate the primary (main) label for a building, and also an option for individual doctors to, if they wish, add their name. I have seen some listings where the primary label is followed by a colon and then a doctor's name--a doctor who has an office as part of that clinic or practice or in that building. Having an option to indicate such would be helpful. Example of how it looks: Metropolis Outpatient Clinic: Jane Doe, MD

[Malarik]

Great idea!

Maybe Google can make that an optional template.

Thanks,

Paul