I know satellites exist and they could easily find out roads, but how they find pathways in forest and other small paths?
In: Technology
They have people walking around wearing specialized “backpacks”
[https://blog.google/products/maps/mapping-stories-new-street-view-trekker/](https://blog.google/products/maps/mapping-stories-new-street-view-trekker/)
People also bring their phones everywhere, so if a line is in the forest you can assume a trail
Google maps only knows the data that has been put into it. If it knows small pathways it’s because that data has been entered into it. In places like parks, forests and so on it knows paths because they have been programmed in as paths/trails/walking routes.
But if a path is never programmed in, Google Maps won’t know about it. Where I live there’s loads and loads of paths and trails and even woods and fields that just aren’t on Maps. You only know they’re there if you walk them yourself or go and look at an Ordinance Survey map.
Same reason why those paths are on any other map. Somebody put them there. Usually someone with local knowledge digitizes them and these local maps are aggregated into larger ones and eventually they might end up being used by Google or other large service providers.
Bro, google maps didn’t use satelites to map roads, people literally had fulltime jobs to drive and walk around and mark roads for them, it was a huge thing 15 years ago or so.
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