Understanding How Google Maps Formats Street Addresses Along Highways

[Tim Sweeney]

Hi there,


I'm interested in understanding how Google Maps chooses the address formatting for businesses along highways.

For example, see this map listing: https://goo.gl/GE22Dy Its "street address" is shown as 1364 NY-7, Afton, NY 13730. Checking other businesses along NY-7, most share this formatting except when they enter a village. For example, see this map listing https://goo.gl/7NIvGr. Ok, this business is in the "Village" of Afton. So now Google is showing the address as 42 Main St, Afton, NY 13730.


If you had to explain this difference in address formatting, what would you say? (Note, neither of these businesses are clients) For example, is it because one business is located within a defined locality that being a "village"? Or, is it that once you enter the village there are "signs" labeling NY-7 as Main St.?



Thanks

Tim

 

[James Watt]

One of the map maker pros will need to chime in if I get anything wrong, since I'm not super clear on the map maker side... but I'm pretty sure the gist is that the road itself is labeled differently in Afton city limits in map maker, so Google's just going off the primary name for the road it has for that geographic location.

For proof, just search Main st, Afton, NY in https://www.google.com/mapmaker (it autocorrected to Avon first time, make sure you pull up the right main st in the right village). There might be another way to see the actual route information, but if you hit 'edit', it actually shows you the route. Main st. only exists in Map Maker's eyes in the village limits, outside there it's just the NY-7.

 

[Tim Sweeney]

I see what you mean by checking it out on Map Maker. It would be great if there as a Google help doc on this. Thanks for the help!

 

[JoyHawkins]

If you open the Interstate Battery System listing in MapMaker and then press Edit > Select Road Segments, select the road segment, hit next and then press to edit the road name, you'll see that the road name at that point is New York 7.

For Pit Stop Auto, you do the same thing and you'll see both Main Street AND New York 7 show up.

So based on the way it is currently one business has 1 option, the other has 2 (both would be correct for Pit Stop Auto so they could use either/or).

Another way to tell what road name you should use is to plot a random point exactly where the business is (press add new > Add a Place) and see what road name Google inserts automatically. Obviously don't actually save the new point since it doesn't exist.

 

[Tim Sweeney]

Joy

Thanks for the tips on Map Maker. Following along it makes more sense now.

Tim