posted in Technology
The 'OG' online map platform, MapQuest, says it won't change the name of Lake Ontario
www.businessinsider.com/mapquest-wont-rename-lake-ontario-lake-america-trump-canada-tariffs-2026-8
It’s not that MapQuest won’t change it, it’s that the name hasn’t changed.
Replying to @TheJesusaurus@piefed.ca
But Goog map added “Gulf of America” under the Gulf of Mexico while MapQuest retain the Gulf of Mexico, so even when it has changed for USA MapQuest basically saying they won’t follow.
Again, not that they won’t follow, it’s that the name hasn’t changed. Trump can do what he likes and he can probably force the executive branch to use the name in official documentation, but other than that this stunt means nothing
Replying to @TheJesusaurus@piefed.ca
Hi, I work in the map industry. We generally don’t get to decide what names to use for features. We apply what the local official name is (to simplify). That’s why if you’re in country A, feature X might be named something different than if you’re in country B. You can imagine this would (and has) caused many conflicts around the world if we didn’t display the local official name. (Switch your region via VPN and you can see this in action)
If Google renamed it to Gulf of America, no Google didn’t, not really … They just inserted the new official name for that feature according to GNIS.