1. Table: ReBugs
Eric Jensen, step-master/head of software
Up to 40 million users live with the Swiss army knife of data: the ubiquitous Google Maps. That brings with it a host of questions: how does it handle multiple locations, or traffic? How does it display traffic-influenced detours, or a transit time? Well, apparently, it can’t do any of that. Or at least it’s having trouble at that particular moment.
2. Table: Catedral Brutus
Geoff Heiler, head of database and algorithms
GOOGLE MAPS takes action when an automated update is available, scanning its source map and calculating what’d a change change will be. It may have tried to find another route to your location, or flag a detour as “not recommended.” Google’s geographic database of “public infrastructure” doesn’t match the application’s changing location.
3. Table: Anti-Herbert
Eric Jensen, head of software
Contextual information is one of Google’s greatest assets. Maps provide information on the weather, traffic, gas prices, even how to spend your leisure time at your destination. Now its rolling out new “Smart Routes” feature that will display real-time information on traffic. There’s a shortcoming. How does a rocket that flies to the heavens in two hours avoid the freeway between New York and Chicago? A dashboard’s one way for a wayfinder to act like Google Maps.
4. Table: Content Store
Matt Brown, assistant data scientist
So Google can’t tap its map servers? Maybe that’s why the service requires an online login. Which means someone must build special hardware to make sure Google can replicate in the cloud. But wait, what if that person doesn’t have the resources to do that? So the Google team is trying something else: an online database that can be accessed by any browser.
5. Table: Lacks Ram
Eric Jensen, head of software
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