Pokémon Go players change public map data to catch rare Pokémon

Yes, Pokemon Go. The hottest mobile game For the year 2016 It remains an effective force to this day, and it is withdrawing Hundreds of millions of dollars annually from Tens of millions of Active players monthly.

Part of what keeps the game fresh is the constant influx of new Pokemon. The game started with just 151 original monsters in 2016, and has gradually caught up with the current generation of Switch games in bits and pieces over the past eight years. The game is currently in the process of adding monsters carmine And VioletAnd here this story begins.

Two of the latest additions to Pokemon Go The list is Wiglett and Wigtrio, which are based on the designs of Diglett and Dugtrio, who live on beaches and look somewhat similar Garden snakes. Pokemon Go It uses the biome system Certain Pokémon are restricted to certain types of real-world terrain, such as forests, mountains, and beaches. While the Water Pokemon appear, Wigglyte and Watertree appear in the Beach Biome.

This has been a problem for landlocked players looking to catch these new Pokémon. according to Report from 404 MediaSome of these players have added fake beaches to OpenStreetMap so they can easily access the beach biome in Pokemon Go (Although the game He goes It initially used Google Maps data, and appears to have switched to OpenStreetMap Sometime in 2017). OpenStreetMap contributors discovered “beaches” that already existed in residential backyards, golf courses, and sports fields.

This is not the first time there has been this over-enthusiasm Pokemon Go The players have drawn the ire of OpenStreetMap contributors. complete Blog posts, Wiki entriesAnd Presentations OSM mappers are here to fill the knowledge gap, and explain the purpose of OpenStreetMap data Pokemon Go Users and collapse Pokemon Go Game mechanics for frustrated OSM contributors. It’s one of the things OSM’s contributors are trying to make clear Pokemon Go Players: It’s unclear how often Niantic pulls new map data from OSM, so your fake biomes could mess up the map data without you even getting the rare Pokemon you want.

As this OSM blog post suggests, not every user discovers the OpenStreetMap project via Pokemon Go Ends tampering with the data. Although many users are vandals who “spread the truth” and create non-existent parks, beaches, and trails to encourage certain Pokémon to spread, others become “very careful and trustworthy” OSM users who “make many valuable additions to the map” by Accurately mapping places where OSM data is incomplete or outdated.