Google Maps delivers unwary tourists to NJ couple's driveway

By Matt Weinberger July 12, 2011, 3:57pm PDT
Summary
What would you do if Google Maps was directing dozens of tourists and campers not to the entrance of the nearby state park, but right to your driveway?
Topics
Google Inc., Woman, Google Maps, Matt Weinberger
Christopher Dawson
Christopher Dawson grew up in Seattle, back in the days of pre-antitrust Microsoft, coffeeshops owned by something other than Starbucks, and really loud, inarticulate music. He escaped to the right coast in the early 90's and received a degree in Information Systems from Johns Hopkins University. While there, he began a career in health and educational information systems, with a focus on clinical trials and related statistical programming and database modeling. This focus led him to several positions at Johns Hopkins, a couple-year stint in private industry, teaching high school math and technology, and 2 years as the technology director for his local school district. Most recently, he started his own consulting business and is now the Vice President of Marketing for WizIQ, Inc., a virtual classroom and learning network provider. He lives with his wife, five kids (yes, 5), 2 dogs, and a hateful cat in a small town in north-central Massachusetts. Although he is no longer teaching, his roles with WizIQ and ZDNet allow him to continue helping students and teachers add value to education with technology rather than merely adding to the bottom line.
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What would you do if Google Maps was directing dozens of tourists and campers not to the entrance of the nearby state park, but right to your driveway? It sounds like the setup to a bad joke, but for one New Jersey family, it was an unfortunate reality.
According to the New Jersey-based Star-Ledger, which broke the story, the problem originates from a glitch that arises if you search for “Round Valley Reservoir,” as opposed to “Round Valley State Park” or “Round Valley Recreation Area.”
Laurie Gneiding and Michael Brady, the married couple occupying the house, have had to deal with motorists showing up at their doorstep day and night. Some have been polite, some less so. Naturally, the couple is afraid for their safety, and have put up signs warning uninvited guests away from their property.
Apparently, Gneiding filed with Google Maps and its “Report a Problem” tool for a fix on May 21, and heard back on June 3rd that the team was on it. But July 4th weekend rolled around, and drivers started showing up en masse looking for their campsites. The couple apparently has taken to installing a bright orange traffic barricade at the foot of their driveway.
When the Star-Ledger contacted Google for comment, that fix still hadn’t been implemented, and the company spokesperson issued an official apology. But no timeline is available for when Gneiding and Brady might be able to look forward to the end of the accidental visitors.
So let me ask the peanut gallery the question I started with: What would you do if you found Google Maps was directing people to your door?
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http://www.zdnet.com/blog/google/google-maps-delivers-unwary-tourists-to-nj-couples-driveway/3126?alertspromo=&tag=nl.rSINGLE