When Google Maps Goes Wrong...

Date: 13 Jul 2011

Many of us now come to rely on Google Maps to find our way around - both at home and away. So what happens when Google Maps is telling you that you should be entering a State Park in New Jersey, when in fact, you are landing yourself on someone's home. And they are not happy about it...

This story is a reality for an unfortunate couple from Hunterdon County in New Jersey, so ABC news reports today.

The Gneiding's have had their nightly sleeps and daily lives disturbed for the past number of years by tourists looking for the entrance to Round Valley State Park, only to find the entrance to the Gneiding's home. Undeterred, many tourists continue, some unloading boats and gear, while the Gneiding's watch on.

The couple has only just recently found out why this was happening - when a group of cyclists asked them for directions to the park and showed them their map on their smartphone. The Gneiding's realised that the hoards of hapless tourists were being directed to their home by an inaccurate listing on Google Maps.

The Gneiding's have sinced lodged a complaint with Google but have had no news of the issue being resolved.

Deanna Yick from Google has told ABC News that their "product team is aware of the needed correction and working to implement it."

Yick has commented, "We recognize that there may be occasional inaccuracies and appreciate the feedback we get about how to improve our tools. We strive to review these requests and make appropriate changes as quickly as possible."