Can You Believe That Online Map Data?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: April 5, 2009 12:33:31 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Can You Believe That Online Map Data?


                    Can You Believe That Online Map Data?

                http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000535.html


Greetings.  There's an excellent piece in the L.A. Times today
discussing how geocoding errors can result not only in clusters of
inaccurate data being displayed within online maps, but also in the
spread of that bad data to other databases and systems.  Of course,
all manner of critical factors and decisions concerning services,
privacy, and so much else can end up being based on such data:

http://latimes.com/news/local/la-me-geocoding-errors5-2009apr05,0,5966285.story

This "garbage in, garbage out" truth should be obvious, but we all too
often tend to look at colorful online maps and just assume that
they're accurate.  Yet the underlying assumptions of the mapping
system designers play a major role in the results when geocoded data
in particular is in error or cannot be interpreted properly.

A map, like a picture, may be worth "a thousand words" -- but that
doesn't necessarily mean that those words are always a reflection of
reality.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () vortex com
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
  - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, GCTIP - Global Coalition
  for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: LW1





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