Travelers visiting Iceland are urged not to rely on the popular online map service Google Maps. Google's maps of Iceland are riddled with errors, causing travelers confusion and problems, sending astray. The Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority has made repeated attempts to contact Google, without success.
Poorly phrased searches
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports that the IRCA has reviewed numerous cases where the popular map application provides incorrect information about Iceland and the road system. The internet giant Google has not responded to these complaints, according to RÚV. A spokesman for the IRCA told RÚV that Google is most likely not very interested in Iceland.
We at Iceland Insider have previously reported on problematic errors in Google Maps which either direct travelers to the wrong destinations or onto dangerous and even closed roads. Although Google has corrected these errors, it seems the company hasn't been in contact with the IRCA regarding them and other issues that have come up. In some cases the problems boil down how travelers phrase their searches. RÚV highlights one strange example. Businesses in the industrial area Höfði report that they see a constant stream of travelers who are looking for the City Center. The neighborhood is the geographic center of the city, but not its central district.
Other online maps
You should never rely solely on one online map when traveling in a foreign country. Always look up your destination online using a second, local map application and reference a printed map from a reliable publisher.
Read more: The best free online maps of Iceland
We at Iceland Insider recommend using the map feature of the Icelandic phonebook (ja.is), which allows you to look up any address in Iceland and has a GPS feature as well as an aerial photo feature which is far more reliable than Google, or map.is, which allows you to look up any place name in Iceland. If you use these along with Google Maps and double check your search words you should not get lost.
Travelers visiting Iceland are urged not to rely on the popular online map service Google Maps. Google's maps of Iceland are riddled with errors, causing travelers confusion and problems, sending astray. The Icelandic Road and Coastal Authority has made repeated attempts to contact Google, without success.
Poorly phrased searches
The National Broadcasting Service RÚV reports that the IRCA has reviewed numerous cases where the popular map application provides incorrect information about Iceland and the road system. The internet giant Google has not responded to these complaints, according to RÚV. A spokesman for the IRCA told RÚV that Google is most likely not very interested in Iceland.
We at Iceland Insider have previously reported on problematic errors in Google Maps which either direct travelers to the wrong destinations or onto dangerous and even closed roads. Although Google has corrected these errors, it seems the company hasn't been in contact with the IRCA regarding them and other issues that have come up. In some cases the problems boil down how travelers phrase their searches. RÚV highlights one strange example. Businesses in the industrial area Höfði report that they see a constant stream of travelers who are looking for the City Center. The neighborhood is the geographic center of the city, but not its central district.
Other online maps
You should never rely solely on one online map when traveling in a foreign country. Always look up your destination online using a second, local map application and reference a printed map from a reliable publisher.
Read more: The best free online maps of Iceland
We at Iceland Insider recommend using the map feature of the Icelandic phonebook (ja.is), which allows you to look up any address in Iceland and has a GPS feature as well as an aerial photo feature which is far more reliable than Google, or map.is, which allows you to look up any place name in Iceland. If you use these along with Google Maps and double check your search words you should not get lost.
