The web and modern technology in general is changing everything, including international conflicts. Apparently, tensions are rising between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, as one Nicaraguan military commander is blaming Google Maps for ordering his troops to enter territory belonging to the neighboring country. Apparently, the Nicaraguan commander decided to trust Google Maps rather than the official military maps and moved his troops into what is rightfully Costa-Rican territory.
There, he set up camp and brought down the Costa-Rican flag to put up Nicaragua's. He then used an error in Google Maps, which indicated a different border than the correct one.
The fist question that pops to mind is, why would he rely on Google Maps do take such radical actions, rather than use the information he already had at his disposal?
One answer, backed up by recent events between the two countries, may be that it wasn't really Google Maps that spurred the military commander, rather it was just a convenient scapegoat.
Throughout history there have been plenty of weak excuses for aggression, even the first World War started over very weak premises, and it looks like governments are just keeping up with the times.
Interestingly, Bing Maps shows the correct border information for that region. Google has said that it is now aware of the error, but cannot say why it happened or who is the provider of the data for that region.
Unfortunately, the Google Maps team, just like everyone else tacking online mapping on a global scale, has seen its
fair share of problems over border disputes.
In fact, Google has several provisions in place to ensure that its maps provide a neutral point of view.
Disputed borders are drawn differently on Google Maps to indicate the conflict. What's more while most people around the world are going to see the border as recognized internationally, visitors from a country involved in a border dispute will see the
border as officially claimed in their country. [
via Search Engine Land]
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