GoogleDIA

I live in Stapleton, the redevelopment of the the previous Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colo. I was taking a look at Google Maps today and came across a label in my neighborhood for Denver International Airport (above screen shot has my enhancement). Needless to say, I was a bit surprised by the label, and wondered whether I would be guided to a wrong location in a search for such an important transportation hub.

When conducting the search, the correct Denver International Airport was found with ease, but there was also the notation,”Did you mean: denver international airport near Stapleton, Denver, CO” as the below image reflects.

DIASearch

Clicking on this link took me to the spot just blocks from my home where the old airport existed, but now new homes stand. I then scanned my neighborhood further and found that there was a label for Stapleton International Airport on the map. A quick Google search went direct to this spot that no longer exists. There’s also an overpass over I-70 that’s marked Yosemite Street that is not an open road.

Screen shot 2009-11-23 at 7.47.41 PM

Clearly there is only one Denver International Airport, and I went ahead and alerted Google to this and the other errors. Introducing this level of uncertainty for travelers could certainly become troublesome. And there are plenty of people that will remember Stapleton as the airport name before they’ll understand that DIA has been around for a decade now. Looking at the map would eliminate most people’s doubts, but the sometimes frantic situations of travel often leave little time and room for navigational errors.

I’ve commented at length previously about the importance for trusted data, and continue to wonder about the wisdom of relying on the public’s interests in correcting obviously inferior data. How long will map customers keep coming back, particularly if they’ve been guided off course?

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