Did you know that ?

[Chaitanya Sri]

Hi all,

Lets make mapping more fun! Share those cool tips that you came across while mapping with the community. There are always shortcuts to success ;-)

For starters, I wanted to start by sharing something about the ‘Accuracy’ attribute (shown as ‘Line Accuracy’ for Linear features & ‘Geometry Accuracy’ for POI’s) -
If you change its value to ‘Approximate’, you will find that the marker in the view port appears as a small ‘Circle’ instead of a ‘marker’ as shown below:

 

This circle does not pinpoint the exact location of the feature (like a usual marker does) but shows the approximate location and hence the representation.

Start sharing those secret techniques/ tips of your mapping skills with the community! :-)

Cheers,

Chaitanya Sri

[Saikrishna Arcot]

I wrote a guide on how to draw a road so that it doesn't intersect with the roads under it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rNQhW_VvMeuOvX8_CrpYUJnrgnmJdYyAxjaRxNEIYN4/edit.

I've submitted a request to add the article to Map Makerpedia, and am still waiting.

[siva n]

Good.

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[Ramu]

Hi Saikrishna,

A wonderful article. It should help time “fly” for all those mapping flyovers.

As said here, the contribution process to the Map Makerpedia has changed. No more filling forms, no more documents, no more reviewals. Just join the contributors' group, create the page and stack up the content. I have created the page for your article and it is live.

Please post back if doubts still persist. Thanks a lot again.

Regards,
Ram Mohan,
The Map Makerpedia Team.

[KaliJay]

I'm confused. Sorry. :)  Why wouldn't you just use the "Road Flyover / Underpass" option after clicking Draw Line and do the same thing with a single segment? It's weird, but I've seen people with 10,000 edits that still can't seem to draw a flyover or figure out why their road segment won't connect to a flyover. Maybe I need to write my own "did you know that" article....

[Will / NeoPhoenixTE]

I have a few tricks I've picked up:

Road names and attributes in one edit

I'm a believer in the approach of getting things done in as few edits as possible. While this may hinder those who are looking for huge edit counts, this does help those who want to get things done quickly while waiting for as few reviews as possible.

One trick I learned is how to correct a road's name and attributes in a single edit!

1.) Select the segments that you need to update, and edit the road name as you normally would.

2.) Assuming the edit is still pending, go back to the edit under the "My Edits" section, and click Edit -> Edit Road Attributes

3.) You can now alter the attributes as you see fit, and leave a comment with your edit (unlike road naming edits)

4.) Once you submit, you can check the details of your edit. You will now see that it's still just a single edit, but it's updating both the names and attributes.

With it unified like that, you're only going to be waiting for one review, instead of two to continue your work in the area.

Adjusting the geometry of an entire parking lot

I'm likely not alone in this, but I have a wicked case of OCD when it comes to road alignment. When I draw roads, I want those matching the center lines on satellite.

One thing I run in to is when there's a parking lot mapped out with tons of intersections and it's offset or "just ain't right" as they say. Now, back before intersections auto-published, this would've been a downright epic trick. Nowadays, it's just another "single edit time-saver" like my first thing was.

There's a way you can edit every single intersection in a parking lot in one single edit. It's actually quite easy, and has two steps:

1.) Most parking lots are unnamed. The trick is to get all of the segments under a single "Unnamed" route. Through segment selection and paying attention to what segments highlight when you mouse-over a name, unify the entire parking lot under a single "Unnamed" route name. The route name "Unnamed" still counts as a route name, so spread it out.

2.) Once all the segments are unified under a single route, simply click on one segment, and go to Edit -> Edit entire Enclosed Traffic Area / Parking Lot. The whole thing should light up and you should be able to move every intersection simultaneously!

Slacker's Building Alignment

I'm pretty sure someone else has thought of this ever since the last patch went through, but I may as well post it out there for kicks.

Building polygons are supposed to match the ground geometry. That's all well and good until you realize that you can't see that ground edge for most of the building on satellite. Here's a quick and dirty way to get that taken care of when it comes to very simple buildings:

1.) Map your building polygon using the roof-line of the building. Now stay with me here! I swear if a GR jumps me here there's gonna be a scrap. ;P

2.) Find the ground geometry of the building where it's visible. Corners are often perfect here. If you can see on satellite where a building corner meets the ground, then you're set!

3.) Use the "Move" tool in the polygon toolbar to move that polygon you drew aligned to the roof over to where it lines up with that edge or corner visible on satellite.

4.) Click done, and your building polygon should now be pretty aligned to the ground geometry.

Naturally, if the building has things like overhangs or other odd roof anomalies, then this approach might not be the correct one. But for really simple buildings, this will make adding 2.5D buildings a snap.

If I think of more, I'll add more. I know I forgot one halfway through typing this post, and I'll likely recall it in the middle of the day while at work..or worse, while driving. :|

[KaliJay]

I'll answer my own question and make a suggestion. Your method works where an intersection doesn't already exist at the beginning (and possibly end) of the new flyover. A "Road Flyover / Underpass" will never create an intersection, but can start or end at an existing surface intersection. Your guide also didn't mention setting the grade level and what affect that would have.

I would have created a surface segment at the start of the exit ramp up to where the bridge itself begins. I'd then use the "Road Flyover / Underpass" option to draw the bridge and set the middle to "Overpass 1". Then I'd create a third surface segment to connect the end of the bridge to W Airport Fwy. We want to make sure that any roads drawn under the bridge won't intersect the bridge and still allow other roads to intersect the non-bridge portions. 

In my opinion there should always be an intersection at either end of a bridge since it has properties not shared with the adjoining segments (e.g. grade level, surface type, and sometimes elevation).

I would also recommend using the Local priority and not setting the segment usage until all three segments have been drawn (but do set direction, lanes, surface type, grade level, etc). You should be able to draw all three segments without needing a review. Then select the whole thing (segment tool), set the priority and segment usage at once, and you're done. No need to come back later and fix attributes after the road is approved.

[KaliJay]

OK, sorry if this seems like I'm competing, and I'm not entirely sure this is in the spirit of the thread topic, but I wrote my own Flyover/Underpass guide as my way of saying "Did you know that..."

This is my first attempt at writing a guide for Map Maker and I'm sure there's a better place to introduce these, but here it is anyway:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11dIBJP2XtAyVDTRlPTni7F99xOSiIGBOjjVQTyJUuU4/edit

Comments? Complaints?

[Saikrishna Arcot]

Well, I didn't know that. I thought maybe that the Road Flyover/Underpass option was bugged since it didn't work as I intended. I didn't know that if there was an intersection at the start and end points, then it will connect to that.

If it's fine with you, I'll include a link to your document and add in some snippets about grade level and using Road Flyover/Underpass.

[Saikrishna Arcot]

Now I remember the announcement. Thanks for reminding me.

On another note, you might want to remove the Create a New Article link on the Map Makerpedia page, since it no longer applies.

[KaliJay]

Sure. Use anything you need. I'll keep the guide available and update it over time if needed.

[delta fox]

"There are many ways to create non-intersecting roads including: 1) adding a new road using the Road Flyover / Underpass category, 2) editing an existing road and dragging that road over/across other roads, and 3) deleting intersections at the flyover/underpass location. "

Option #2 is pretty similar as Saikrishna's, but I think option #1 should be preferred.

"The flyover/underpass should be created using the shortest possible segment. For example, a bridge should have an intersection at either end. Only apply the grade level attribute to a short flyover/underpass segment, not an entire road.  If the grade level attribute is applied to a long road segment that happens to include the bridge, it won’t be possible to connect new roads or trails since these underpass/overpass segments cannot be split."

A flyover can be created in one shot. You need to create more than one single segment only if you have to set different attributes on each segment. As you pointed out, new intersections cannot be created, but you may connect properly both ends of the flyover if intersections already exist and you reuse them (using 'advanced search/intersections' allow you to click just on them). Any segment can be split later, after changing it to 'Surface'.

"It’s impossible to create an intersection on a road (split a segment) with the middle grade level set to anything other than Surface"

 In fact, it's impossible even if 'Middle' grade level is set to 'Surface' but not 'Begin' or 'End' (it must be a bug, since it's not logical...).

[delta fox]

Le mardi 14 février 2012 16:11:18 UTC+1, Will / NeoPhoenixTE a écrit :

2.) Once all the segments are unified under a single route, simply click on one segment, and go to Edit -> Edit entire Enclosed Traffic Area / Parking Lot. The whole thing should light up and you should be able to move every intersection simultaneously!

Are you sure ??? AFAIK, this will only allow you to move intersections between two segments of this route, intersections with other roads will be highlighted too but cannot be moved.

 

[KaliJay]

I think this practice (single route parking lots, etc), while useful before intersections could be edited easily, should no longer be recommended. It won't save you any time since you'll be unnecessarily editing the routes instead of just moving the intersections which almost anyone can do without moderation. It used to be a good plan. There used to be all kinds of tricks to moving intersections without moderation, but luckily none of those are need anymore. Woo!

[Nuclear Moose]

How to quickly and easily make linear corners look nicer.

The human brain is highly evolved to look for and interpret patterns. Patterns are everywhere in nature, and we are so attuned to them that sometimes we fool ourselves into seeing something that isn't really there.

How does this apply to capturing linear features like roads, trails, and railways? 

A great question!

When we create linear features, there are large white dots at the points in the segment where the line changes direction. If there is enough space in between two large dots, you'll see a small dot. Based on many edits I have seen, many mappers simply pull out this small dot a bit to help create the illusion of rounding the feature. That's fine, but your eye automatically sees the bisection pattern. Since you probably moved the small dot perpendicular to its original location, it is probably equidistant to each large dot. Your eye doesn't see rounding, rather it sees a shorter, but equally-long straight set of lines in between your original two dots.

Here's where the trick comes in.

If/when you move those small dots, not only move it perpendicular towards the direction of the curve, move it closer to one of the large dots by a bit. Your eye will no longer see a pattern of a perfectly bisected line, it will tend to generalize what you just did and fool your brain into thinking you actually have a couple of small, slightly curved lines.

I've tried this often, and 99% of the time I move those little dots in two directions and my final rendered linear feature has a more round curve look to it rather than choppy with equal length segments. Depending on the amount of curve you require, you can move even closer to one large dot or the other and you'll notice a more pleasing rendered result.

Experiment with it a little bit and see the difference - round curves on the road FTW!

[KaliJay]

Wow...that's...mind blowing.  I'm a big fan of rounded corners myself. I'll try it. What's the worst that could happen?  :)

There is another approach that works at least as well. Just use a whole lot of dots...and spend a ridiculous amount of time saving and re-editing. For some reason lines do not look the same after being saved. Often I save, then say "yikes!" and re-edit before anyone sees my crazy crooked road...

[Akif]

I see folks asking what to do when they can't delete a feature, sometime, because  Continue button does not work properly.

The trick is to ignore the Continue button and select the duplicate on the left panel and click ok button and you are done. :)

[Willy Hrachovina]

The Continue button should have been fixed with the latest Map Maker update. If you still have a problem using the Continue button, please Submit Feedback or start a separate thread regarding that issue.

[Diyar Zakaria]

Change Language with keep in Domain of International Google :

  If you want change language interface of Map Maker without change domain for you country keep in international domain google.com/mapmaker just add in last link this " ?hl=ar "  will be like this: google.com/mapmaker?hl=ar  the interface of Google Map Maker will change to Arabic because " ar " give mean Arabic language also with same for your language if available.

Thanks

[Nuclear Moose]

I'm not a fan of using lots of dots - it does accomplish a nice round corner, but IMO it adds a lot of weight to the feature because all of those dots have coordinates associated with them. More dots, more data, slower loading of features.

But, it still works perfectly well and is a valid way to go from crappy to curvy! ;)

[Geoffrey Perez]

Slower loading of features would make sense in the vectorized versions of Google Maps. Not so much an issue for the prerendered versions, as the slowness is on Google's end and only during creation.

So yeah, it would slow down MapsGL, Android and iOS Google Maps clients, unless true curves are ever implemented between nodes like in CAD software (less nodes actually needed if done).

On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 8:13 AM, General Map Maker on behalf of Nuclear Moose <google-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I'm not a fan of using lots of dots - it does accomplish a nice round corner, but IMO it adds a lot of weight to the feature because all of those dots have coordinates associated with them. More dots, more data, slower loading of features.

But, it still works perfectly well and is a valid way to go from crappy to curvy! ;)

--

[Angela]

This topic has a lot of great information! Thanks for sharing, I've learned some!

[KaliJay]

Did you know...

If you have pending roads enabled and see a road glowing blue, you can click on the road and see one of three possible statuses:

1. Pending - This is what's supposed to cause the road to be highlighted. This is normal. Feel free to review it (assuming it's not your own edit).

2. Deleted - This is a bug. The highlighting was probably left behind by a reverted edit. It happens a lot and these never seem to go away. We need Google to fix this!

3. [no status] - This is also a bug, but a fixable one. This was most likely a segment that was highlighted by a pending edit and never lost the "pending" flag. Simply re-edit the segment and very slightly adjust the alignment. After 5-10 minutes the highlighting will go away and your map will look clean again.

[Jody Benedict]

Image overlay ziggurat techniqe. (for photoshop, gimp, or other image editing tool that handles transparency and layers)

I just made that name up. It's not official. (clearly)

1. Find your image overlay info, maybe a screenshot of a tax map or something like that
2. Zoom Map Maker in in maps view so the window is a little bigger than your image overlay area.
3. Take a screenshot of maps view & paste it on a layer in photoshop
4. Go back to map maker and without changing the zoom or panning switch to satellite view, take another screenshot
5. Paste that on a layer above your maps view layer in photoshop
6. The satellite layer and maps view layer should be perfectly aligned if you didn't shift anything
7. Past your image overlay info on the top level. Adjust transparency and align it with the mapmaker layers
8. Delete the outside edge of the satellite layer so you can see the edges of the maps layer underneath
9. make sure you keep the overlay layer a little smaller than the two layers underneath. 

The outside edge of your overlay will be Maps view in Map Maker which makes it fairly easy to get aligned. I'm pretty sure you'll all tell me that this is crazy but it works really well for me when I'm trying to map a park that is surrounded by more forest with no clear edges. I do know you can get an overlay aligned in google earth too. Depending on the situation, sometimes that works better & sometimes this works better. 

Ok. Tell me how crazy I am. :) 

[Jody Benedict]

I'm going to make a video of this process because it's kind of fiddly and hard to describe. 

[Aquatakat]

I used this method to properly align all the POI's in West Edmonton Mall, then not a month later they went and did indoor maps, haha. Oh well.

[Jody Benedict]

I hadn't thought of it for something like that. Cool idea. Did your POI's go away? Do Indoor maps override them? It seems like they'd still be helpful in figuring out where to park for a strategic get in get out trip to the mall for people like me who hate shopping. 

 

[Jody Benedict]

Also, If you are using photoshop to make image overlays, Edit > Auto Align Layers will save you a whole lot of time trying to get your imagery matched up. 

[AdelTeo]

Keyboard shortcuts for Google Map Maker:

w - Drawing River
e - Draw a Shape
r - Drawing Road
t - Drawing Railway
p - Add a Place

[Drix]

"Complete" keyboard shortcut, as of March 9, 2012 under new GUI:

a = Advanced Search Pane
c = Review edits Pane
d = Directions
e = Draw a shape
f = Map view full working window extent
l = Draw railway
m = My edit Pane
p = Add a Place
r = Draw road
s = Search Result Pane (could be made better by activate the search bar, my opinion)
t = toggle between Map, Satellite, "Hybrid" view (use same key to go back to default)
u = Updates Pane
w = Draw River
z = Select area to zoom in (use same key to cancel, not Esc)

+/- Zoom

Arrow = Slow pan (browser dependent?)

Home, End, PgUp, PgDown = Block Pan (Browser dependent?)

This list does not apply to Streetview!

:D

[Andrew Sawyer]

Drix = Map Maker Ninja! a la http://www.google.com/mail/help/tips.html#master

Which makes me think GMM should have a similar set up for Map Maker. *Gears start turning in head*

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From: General Map Maker on behalf of Drix <google-...@googlegroups.com>

Sender: General Map Maker on behalf of Drix <google-...@googlegroups.com>

Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2012 13:09:14 -0800 (PST)

To: <google-...@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: General Map Maker on behalf of Drix <google-...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Re: Did you know that ?

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[Drix]

LOL...actually I never really used them before :O still quite a newb...actually went in after seeing AdelTeo's and tried out the whole keyboard ahaha. They should post that in the user guide...and more shortcut please! :DD

First in line: since b doesn't seem to do anything: toggle bike layer perhaps?