Google maps: reliable in storm chasing?

[Andrea Griffa]

Hi all
I just wanted to hear your experience with google maps used as a main street atlas during our chasing days.
Personally, I used iphone google maps with my GPS position and this year I found it very reliable and accurate as I didn't believe. This was valid either for paved or unpaved roads. I mean: could it be a valid subsitute of Street Atlas Delorme or GR shapefiles?

Anyone else has got the same or different experience?

 

[STexan]

Are you talking about getting to a staging or target location or during the actual weather event itself? For broader mapping ("cross country"), I too prefer online Google Maps. Primarily because of how in Google you can put in a start and end point, and if there's more than one practical route, it will list them as well and all you have to to is 'mouse-over' to see alternate routes/distance/time.

But during the chase itself, I prefer a dedicates vehicle GPS mapping device such as Garmin Nuvi, with "north up always" set to help me better maintain my bearings on unfamiliar roads. Online mapping on a cellular data connection in fringe and remote areas is an exercise in frustration and futility. But I should also add, there is no substitute for updated, large[er] scale, state paper maps to supplement your other mapping tools. Paper maps that show all state roads and many more prominent county roads and that can be folded into a particular area for easy access are invaluable at times and preferred over the dedicated vehicle GPS device.

 

[Sean Ramsey]

Last season I used the Google map from GPS Gate Buddy Tracker with a constant update and it worked pretty well. The drawback I ran into since it depended on an internet connection was when I lost signal it would go down and would be flying blind from time to time, which in certain situations became a bit stressful. I'm probably back to offline mapping software this year, but as far as Google maps itself it's pretty detailed imo.

 

[Terrence Cook]

Some smart phones allow you to cache large areas in google maps so you can access mapping offline. As for chasing, you always need paper back-ups, IMO.

 

[DMMoore]

I'm gonna be odd man out on this. I live in the sticks and I drive in the sticks. And quite frankly, using Google Maps for me has been like trying to suck a bowling ball through a soda straw. I finally got tired of fighting it on my tablets and phone and bought Sygic ( www.sygic.com ). US was $30. It uses Tomtom data. One license can be used on up to 5 devices simultaneously. There's a free 7 day trial available. Yes, it cost money when Google Maps is free, but a free piece of junk is still a piece of junk.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

I was talking about using GM as an altas to see the better road option while chasing.

Are you talking about getting to a staging or target location or during the actual weather event itself? For broader mapping ("cross country"), I too prefer online Google Maps. Primarily because of how in Google you can put in a start and end point, and if there's more than one practical route, it will list them as well and all you have to to is 'mouse-over' to see alternate routes/distance/time.

But during the chase itself, I prefer a dedicates vehicle GPS mapping device such as Garmin Nuvi, with "north up always" set to help me better maintain my bearings on unfamiliar roads. Online mapping on a cellular data connection in fringe and remote areas is an exercise in frustration and futility. But I should also add, there is no substitute for updated, large[er] scale, state paper maps to supplement your other mapping tools. Paper maps that show all state roads and many more prominent county roads and that can be folded into a particular area for easy access are invaluable at times and preferred over the dedicated vehicle GPS device.

 

[Shane Adams]

I've never strayed from paper maps. I've chased with others who used GPS of some sort, and it was very useful - as long as it worked. We tried GPS at the start of 2010, but quickly learned we just didn't have the horsepower to run that along with everything else (internet/streaming/etc etc). We dropped it after one chase, because we had constant problems, and quite frankly, I'm far more comfortable with the steering wheel in one hand and a folded up paper map in the other.

Not really relevant to the original point of this thread, but a word of advice: paper maps should always be onboard.

 

[Patrick Marsh]

To reiterate what Shane said, the OU-SMARTRs always have paper maps for their deployments.

 

[Andrea Griffa]

That's for sure, Shane, I think the same; having on board a paper street atlas is something one would not be aside from.

To be honest, with all the limits that Google Maps can have (ie: internet connection), I have to admitt that having your GPS position on a map like iphone Google Maps is so useful, especially when you would not have any road option in order to stay together with the supercell you're chasing and it finds you an unpaved road that your chasing software didn't point out.

I've never strayed from paper maps. I've chased with others who used GPS of some sort, and it was very useful - as long as it worked. We tried GPS at the start of 2010, but quickly learned we just didn't have the horsepower to run that along with everything else (internet/streaming/etc etc). We dropped it after one chase, because we had constant problems, and quite frankly, I'm far more comfortable with the steering wheel in one hand and a folded up paper map in the other.

Not really relevant to the original point of this thread, but a word of advice: paper maps should always be onboard.

 

[Michael Towers]

On my laptop I use a combination of Delorme Street Atlas & Google maps when chasing. Google for larger scale reference & route planning, Delorme for real-time navigation on the smaller scale. Trying to use Google for smaller scale mapping isn’t necessarily as adequate as I like and requires a decent connection when zooming and/or panning. It is useful however for referencing a broader area where you can keep the same image on display and make slight panning adjustments when necessary. In addition there’s always my marker on GR3 which isn’t necessarily for navigation but for positioning reference in relation to surrounding environments. I’ll probably add the Garmin I received as a gift and mount that on the dash, offering a better line of sight while driving and a redundancy separate from my laptop. I also still carry paper maps of most states as well as an atlas but rarely use them anymore.

It might be a lot easier to navigate on the fly with today’s technology but I still find navigation to be one of the most challenging aspects to chasing.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

No......................................................

 

[Marcus Diaz]

It might be a lot easier to navigate on the fly with today’s technology but I still find navigation to be one of the most challenging aspects to chasing.

I echo this. I'm sure everyone has a story or two about a road that doesn't exist except for on the maps, or a road the map says was paved then your sloshing around in thick mud. Of course paper maps usually dont have these problems.

 

[JamesCaruso]

I used Google Maps for chasing for the first time in 2012. While I did sometimes lose the cellular Internet connection, at other times in a weak signal area Google Maps stayed current even when access to other apps/websites had been lost. I also used RadarScope, which is overlaid atop Google Maps.

I do agree that the redundancy of paper maps is a must. However, Google Maps is so much better when it works. On paper maps, it is almost impossible to know what road you are really on when you are on a grid pattern of dirt back roads. And the roads always seem to be differently named on the map and on the signs. With Google Maps, you know exactly where you are and whether that road you're on is in fact the one that goes through to the next paved road or the one that dead ends at the creek.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Dan Robinson]

I use Google Maps frequently to locate restaurants, hotels, etc, but rarely in the heat of the chase. It's not dependable as a primary mapping source because it's not hands-off, and it needs a good internet connection to work well. I like the fact that Google keeps their maps updated to changes and new roads.

 

[David Wolfson]

In many areas Google Maps' satellite view layer is quite high resolution and recent. It comes in very handy to see if a road on the paper map or Delorme is really there before you commit to it.