Senegal road problem with Google Maps

If you ever go to Senegal (nice intro to Africa, safe and relaxed place) you will discover Google Maps navigation has major problems. Locals told me, I didn’t want to believe them. The app kept recommending routes that were impossible to drive through. The issue seems to be that everyone has smartphones (for payments etc) but they navigate through paths, sandy beaches and narrow passes between houses with vehicles other than cars. Horses, carts, motorbikes, whatever. So Google Maps sees a lot of smartphones following routes at speed which are actually not accessible even with a jeep.

The problem is almost funny when you are trying to get to a hotel and the Google Maps instructions have you driving through back yards and over extensive parts of the beach!

I assume other countries have a similar problem, but the incredibly high usage of mobile phones in some African countries clearly makes it worse. Let’s hope a Google car gets there soon to bring some order to the chaos.

(This was the ‘main’ road to a hotel)

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This is true of some regions even in Nigeria @AlexanderChalkidis .

However, local guides like you and me have been doing a great job drawing roads using satellite imagery. The TRAC event is one of such as well as the road mapper.

Hopefully it will get better sooner.

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you are right, I need to learn these tools better. Also will suggest to my friends in Senegal that they get involved

None of the links work in that page you sent me to.