Why doesn't Googlemaps cover the DR?

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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What an amazing tool Googlemaps is. They've even built it into the latest iphone software. Which I'm itching to get my hands on one soon.

Imagine my disappointment when I logged on to Google Maps to have a look at the world to find that the DR is one of only a handful of countries that is not mapped.

Why?

Even Haiti next door and most of Africa is mapped! So it's obviously not an economic reason. Argentina isn't covered either, but I don't live in Argentina so I don't care!
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
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Santiago
What an amazing tool Googlemaps is. They've even built it into the latest iphone software. Which I'm itching to get my hands on one soon.

Imagine my disappointment when I logged on to Google Maps to have a look at the world to find that the DR is one of only a handful of countries that is not mapped.

Why?

Even Haiti next door and most of Africa is mapped! So it's obviously not an economic reason. Argentina isn't covered either, but I don't live in Argentina so I don't care!

What Dominican Republic are you talking about???

Here is a picture of my subdivision in Santiago, the Dominican Republic.

24wr8si.jpg
 

mobrouser

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
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Chip, you're on satellite in that screenshot. Click on the map button on your image and you'll see what Beeza is referring to, there are no road maps.

:classic: mob
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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That's Googlearth not Googlemaps

The photo you showed is from Googlearth, of which the whole world has been photographed from satellite. There are varying degrees of resolution which vary from place to place. Yes some parts of the DR have quite high level of detail.

What I'm talking about is Googlemaps which different. It goes down to street level mapping as drawn by cartographer. In this feature hardware manufacturers are making devices to be able to navigate using these maps.

With the iphone for example it uses cell triangulation to work out its position and can then give turn by turn directions to a destination. A more accurate method of position reckoning is by using a GPS device.

Owners of bars, restaurants, hotels etc can enter their position on Googlemaps as they can on Googlearth. They link it on to their website and it shows where they are and how to get there.

I'm sure you would agree that this is an amazing tool and I wish it would work in the DR. I live on the North Coast but I would like to spend more time in SD or Santiago, but I always get lost! There are very few road signs, the streets are poorly named. You also have to tangle with atrocious traffic and bad drivers in these cities and navigate at the same time.

Now if I had my dash mounted GPS device telling me where to go as it does in many other countries, it would make life much easier!
 

bachatony1

New member
Aug 8, 2008
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MSN has a map site called maps.live.com. Not only do they give you a good interactive road map, but they also provide driving directions. : )
 

Ezequiel

Bronze
Jun 4, 2008
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What an amazing tool Googlemaps is. They've even built it into the latest iphone software. Which I'm itching to get my hands on one soon.

Imagine my disappointment when I logged on to Google Maps to have a look at the world to find that the DR is one of only a handful of countries that is not mapped.

Why?

Even Haiti next door and most of Africa is mapped! So it's obviously not an economic reason. Argentina isn't covered either, but I don't live in Argentina so I don't care!


Check Google Earth, or Yahoo map.
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
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dr1.com
GPS Maps for the DR are being worked on in conjunction with GoogleMaps. No idea on the exact ETA, but I hear it's soon.
 

granca

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Aug 20, 2007
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maps.live.com are a load of rubbish. Try for example La Barbacoa (near Las Terrenas) to Samana town. They?ve imagined a road !!!
 
Aug 19, 2004
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Is it to do with the fact that no decent mapping exists of the country - the only large scale mapping I have seen relies on US aerial suveys from the 60's (?) - which is also probably the origin of most mapping. I am always supprised to see that maps in current guides still often show the railway from Sanchez to La Vega.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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Googlemaps now supports the DR.

Yippee!

So now the next challenge would see if they could get something like Tom Tom to work. Or even those high end vehicles that have built in nav systems.