Google Maps

[Moe]

A few of us have posted different times when Google Maps / Street View jumbled something up on accident, like in street view, a guy getting cut in half..

But did you know that, in Google Maps, in China, the roads are algorithmically moved around? The roads as mapped out will not line up with the roads on the satellite view, and this is intentionally done.

Example:

The circle on the left shows the satellite image of the on/off ramp, the red circle on the left shows where Google Maps has the on/off ramp

If you followed Google Maps to that on ramp, you would end up in the Beijing Red Mansion Culture and Art Museum 500+Meters away

This is due to China having restrictions on mapping without special authorisation due to national security concerns

Just thought it was an interesting tidbit of information

[Wesley]

I'm not 100% sure what is going on in your example.

[Moe]

On the one on the right red circle, do you see the really light circles. That google maps saying there is a highway entrance ramp there.
The circle on the left shows where that ramp really is.

i had a screenshot that shows it better(googles road lines are darker on the Android app than on the web version) my phone maybe I'll switch them out

[Moe]

It also causes things like this

Where the road for the bridge suddenly turns off into the water at the edge where the map turns into water at the edge of, leaving the Chinese Special Administrative Region

And it isn't like you can just take the road map of china and shift the whole thing, as in Shengzen, it's moved in a different direction

[Wesley]

With the larger image it is much easier to see. That is pretty interesting. Makes you think about all the possible political and military reasons they might do this.