A group of three got lost in a forest in Spain but when Google Maps didn't help them find their way, Pokémon Go came to save the day.
A small group of tourists found themselves lost in a forest in Spain and were struggling to find their way back to civilization. When they realized that Google Maps wouldn't be of any help, one of them had the idea of using Pokémon Go... and it worked!
Pokémon Go helped stranded group find their way back
A story from NRK News went viral on Reddit after the beloved mobile game Pokémon Go saved a group of three from getting lost in a forest.
Norwegian game researcher Helga Dis Isfold Sigurdardottir was visiting Spain together with her husband and a close friend, when they managed to get lost in a forest while walking around.
At first, they thought they could just keep wandering around, until they realized that that wasn't really helping them. But when they turned to Google Maps for aid, it wasn't really much of a help, either.
See, Google Maps relies heavily on data that is collected by vehicles – hence the iconic Google Maps car that people like to mess with – but that means that natural or pedestrian-only areas are often not properly mapped on Google Maps.
But what makes Pokémon Go different in this regard, is that it switched from Google Maps to OpenStreetMap in 2017 and therefore features a lot more of these less well known paths and places.
OpenStreetMap allows community members to suggest updates and map areas themselves.
So, when Google Maps failed to help them in their situation, Helga suddenly had the idea to try out Pokémon Go for navigation assistance. It seems silly at first, but it actually managed to help them find their way back.
It seems like that forest had been properly mapped out by some locals at some point in time, thus helping the three out of their situation.
Do you think Pokémon Go is a viable navigation tool? Or is Google Maps still better in your opinion? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
