Offset between the satellite images and the map in China

Note: This is very likely a Maps API problem rather than an actual defect in 
MyTracks.  It's also a symptom of an ongoing problem with GPS mapping in China.

Explaining how to reproduce the problem is somewhat difficult - since you have 
to be in China, but the result is that although the correct position is 
displayed in the satellite view mode the position on the map is about 400m west 
and 200m north of the actual one.

You can see this offset on the regular web-based Google Maps - go to the 
following location:

http://maps.google.com/?ll=22.529048,114.073534&spn=0.008156,0.013937&z=17&vpsrc
=6

and adjust the view so the large road junction (Binhe Ave / Huanggang Road) is 
in the middle of the screen - then toggle between satellite and map mode - you 
will see the junction change position between the two modes (you will also 
notice that on the satellite photo Binhe Ave is not actually split up into 
isolated sections by the HK border as it appears on the map).

There are clearly some people at Google that have a handle on this problem, 
since the Chinese version of maps (ditu.google.com) does not exhibit this 
offset (although it does misalign the roads in HK instead).

http://ditu.google.com/?ll=22.529048,114.073534&spn=0.016312,0.027874&vpsrc=6&z=
16&brcurrent=3,0x3403f40fe1e7a125:0x46796ddee4a08dc8,1,0x3403f3f633f78ad9:0x7a30
a41e1da40b9e%3B5,0,1

The Android version of Maps also displays correctly - although this might be 
handled by detecting if you are using a Chinese mobile carrier and adding an 
offset since if you use a HK SIM card and connect to an HK carrier the offset 
comes back.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by bell.pe...@gmail.com on 25 Aug 2011 at 5:14

J-P-Hanafin / mytracks

Offset between the satellite images and the map in China #550