A’excursion in the Spanish mountains It turned into an experience of pure terror for Helga Dis Isfold Sigurdardottir, a Norwegian researcher, her husband and a friend. The group, having set off for a peaceful walk, found each other disoriented in a dense forest with no clear landmarks. Not even Google Maps managed to provide adequate help: the paths on the ground did not appear in the app map.
After hours of trying to find a way out, Sigurdardottir had an unexpected intuition: opening the app Pokemon Go. Thanks to the maps in the game she managed to identify paths that corresponded to their location and which were not visible on other platforms. Following these routes, the group managed to return to the starting point safe and sound.
Pokémon Go, developed by Niantic, uses a alternative map compared to more well-known services such as Google Maps or Apple Maps. The platform is based on data from Open Street Map (OSM)an open source system that allows users to contribute directly to the creation of maps by adding new routes and geographical details. This approach allows us to also represent less traveled areas, such as mountain paths, often ignored by commercial maps.
The Pokémon Go community continues to update the map
According to Sigurdardottir, the game map was surprisingly accurate compared to the terrain they were exploring, highlighting the potential usefulness of tools created for fun in emergency contexts. In fact, they can be an ally in critical situations, demonstrating how technology can have unexpected and life-saving applications.
Niantic emphasized that the Pokémon Go community plays a fundamental role in keeping the game map updated. Players can record new routes simply by walking with the game active, contributing to an increasingly complete and detailed network of information.
The company doesn’t stop there: it’s developing a advanced 3D mapping model based on artificial intelligencewhich leverages user-provided data to create more precise spatial representations. This system could revolutionize the way video games interact with the real world, improving not only the gaming experience but also safety and exploration in natural environments.
