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Common Mistakes with Mapping Platforms Blog Series
Google Blog #1: Choosing a Platform with Insufficient Data Quality

Date: August 30, 2018
Author: Chris Morabito

In a time when organizations are moving at the speed of light to keep up with competition, do more with less and exceed profit margins, selecting the right technology platforms is more important than ever. Mapping and location are no different. More and more companies are seeing the value that location intelligence can bring to their business, and maps platforms are rising to meet this need.

I see senior leaders selecting the wrong platforms all the time, as well as getting stuck with platforms that worked two years ago but don't have the functionality needed for today. Pricing changes and feature improvements can dramatically affect how specific platforms work for your business. In this blog series, I will focus on the mistakes I see most frequently during mapping platform selection:

• Choosing a platform with insufficient data quality
• Selecting one that can’t solve your current problems
• Prioritizing cost over value

First up, choosing a platform with insufficient data quality.

High-quality data is critical to mapping. Therefore, when choosing a mapping platform, it is important to consider the data sourcing. Begin by asking questions such as “Is the data collected by the provider, licensed from a third party or crowdsourced?” and “Is the coverage satisfactory?” Remember, data quality varies wildly between localities, and sub-par data can seriously impact location accuracy, travel time estimates and analytics. If possible, test the data against real scenarios prior to diving deep into a platform implementation.

The Google Difference
Google publishes over 25 million updates to its mapping data EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. By combining massive internal data collections (such as aerial and Street View imagery) with third-party sources, web crawling and crowdsourcing (through the Local Guides program), Google creates comprehensive, up-to-date and consistent global map data.

How Woolpert Fits In
Woolpert has decades upon decades of experience in the geospatial industry, and we are experts in every facet of spatial data—from creation to analysis. As a Google Premier Partner, we can help you not only understand what data Google provides, but also pair that data with your company’s specialized insights. We can help you extend the reach of your data by merging it with Google’s, while generating the best benefits for your business units and cost centers.

Interested in learning more? Contact us for a copy of our latest guide, Three Common Mistakes Senior Leaders Make with Mapping Platforms.

See you next week for the next blog in our series, Choosing a Platform Not Capable of Solving Your Problems.