Posted on 12/08/2006 10:25:19 AM PST by LibWhacker
Questionable directions given by online mapping services could have contributed to the death of James Kim, who perished while trying to save his stranded family.
Kim, 35, was driving home from a vacation with his wife, Kati, and daughters, four-year-old Penelope and seven-month-old Sabine, on November 25 when he took a wrong turn and they became lost in the wilderness in Oregon, in north-west US.
Kim left his family on Saturday to find help, but never returned. When searchers found his lifeless body yesterday, he had already walked 13 kilometres through rugged terrain, wearing only light clothing.
But Kim - undoubtedly tech-savvy given that he worked as a technology reporter for the online publisher CNET - may never have made that fateful wrong turn if he hadn't used the internet to look up directions for his journey, US media reports suggest.
According to Associated Press, drivers are advised not to take Bear Camp Road to Gold Beach in winter, the route taken by the Kims.
"Authorities say the cyber-savvy family may have plucked the route from Grants Pass to Gold Beach from an online mapping service, unaware of the elements," AP reported.
"Despite its impassable snowdrifts and single lane, Bear Camp Road is offered as the preferred route on some websites and on-board-directions software available on some new cars. And most of those have no business in those mountains in the winter."
When using the Yahoo Maps, MapQuest and Google Maps online services to plot directions from Grants Pass to Gold Beach, Yahoo and MapQuest both recommend taking the same, safer highway route, while Google suggests a shortcut through roads that become dangerous in winter.
"It's [the route used by the Kim family] not a good way to go in winter conditions," Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson told journalists. "You're not going to make it."
It hasn't been definitively confirmed which online mapping service, if any, the Kim family used for directions.
Autopsy results are due today, and it is expected that they will show that Kim, weakened by a lack of food, eventually succumbed to hypothermia.
Kim's wife and daughters were rescued earlier this week, sustaining only minor injuries.
Since his body was recovered yesterday, video, audio and text tributes to Kim have flooded the web.
Yesterday, smh.com.au's story that reported on the finding of Kim's body was the website's most-read article, attracting over 100,000 page views.
Similarly, on MSNBC.com, the story received over 1 million page views by lunch time, and was also its top-rated story. On CNN.com, the story had received 755,000 page views by mid-afternoon, SFGate.com reports.
The website created to track the search effort, www.jamesandkati.com, is currently collecting donations for the Kim family.
No offense to the family, but Mr. Kim's reliance on technology would seem to have supplanted his common sense and good judgment.
From the turn off on the Merlin-Galice Rd (just south of Galice) the sign says about 65 miles to Gold Beach. It took me over 3 hours to get there but that was driving a P/U with a large cabover camper on the bed. My wife and stepdaughter went that way and about 8 years ago and it took over 2 1/2 hours. They took the back roads because stepdaugter was just starting to drive and wanted to go where not many cars would be. The longer route via 199 would have taken about 2 hours.
Trying to map the trip on Google but the system just hangs???
Not a chance. From mapquest.com: This map is informational only. No representation is made or warranty given as to its content. User assumes all risk of use. MapQuest and its suppliers assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use.
All online map sites have similar, if not the exact same disclaimer.
Just got through to Google (Google Earth) and it does send you through the route that the Kims took. It may be the shortest but not the way to go in the winter. Passable in summer but takes a very long time.
You know, it's crazy... I've been given many bad/incorrect routes by online mapping services (I just haven't been sent on a death ride yet). It's hard to believe tech-savvy James Kim wouldn't know that you have to take those maps with a grain of salt, especially in the backcountry.
Mapquest did have a disclaimer, MSN gave a link for a disclaimer, and Google Earth had no disclaimer or link for one
I did this search on MapQuest and posted about it on 12/4 at 6:47 PM. Contrary to this article it does you on either this road or another forest service road just like it, not a "safer highway route." My post and a few others along this line generated a couple replies because I asked the question as to whether or not MapQuest might have any liability if, in fact, the family had gotten these instructions from them. Do you suppose MapQuest got word of this and changed their recommendation for this route to cover this up?
Not accurate for the searches I just did. Yahoo was the only map service that had the correct route to take, Grants Pass to Gold Beach via 199. All others including Google Earth, MSN Maps, and MapQuest sent you on the fatal trip that the Kims took. Mapquest did have a disclaimer, MSN provided a link to a disclaimer, and Google Earth had no disclaimer.
I just did a search, Grants Pass (Zip 97526) to Gold Beach, and it still sent you the wrong way or the way the Kims attempted. Mapquest did have a disclaimer at the bottom of the directions.
Terms of use for Google maps It's not on the first map that's displayed after an address is entered. It's a link on the printable version, at the lower right hand corner. Their relevant disclaimer for this case:
You agree that you are responsible for your own conduct and content while using Google Maps and for any consequences thereof.
MapQuest cannot be faulted for fixing their recommendation in light of what happened. Moreover, "subsequent remedial measures" are inadmissible as evidence of liability. That's just the way it is in court.
I'm sorry, actually the "Terms of Use" link is on the first map generated too, not just the printable version.
This is a search I just did, still wrong....
Are you certain that's the case? I believe that there is a legal standard of "evidence of guilty knowledge" allowing this type of material.
It's a matter of public policy: one cannot expect property-owners (in this case) to be afraid to fill gopher-holes after an accident until the statute of limitations has expired, or the court case is concluded.
Love how these people attach a bunch of speculation to a big story so that their name will come up on searches about the story and heighten their profile and maybe their paycheck. it's so sleazy.
All that aside these mapping services just use a simple maze pathing algorythm to find the most direct route from the entered point A to the entered point B. There's simply no way they could program in various seasonal travel adviseries and such, at least not and keep the services free. If you really want good directions for a cross country trip in teritory unfamiliar to you there's still only one good source, AAA, they work in the seasonal stuff and get the road construction schedules. AAA can do this because they charge.
They're good as tools but NOT 100% accurate. Sometimes the directions don't always get you to the correct street. That happened to me when I was looking for the DHL address in Long Beach, California.
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