Best Way to Verify a Location

This is probably a silly question, but I want to make sure I do things correctly the first time around. Anyway, what's the best way to verify a location, using a map app like Google Maps?

I wouldn't use something like Google Maps to verify a location. Something like Google Maps is fine for getting an idea where a household location is. But there can be, and have been for me in my area, errors for the location provided. I use one of two methods to verify a location. The first is local government GIS sourcing or physically go to the address. The latter is best done with the help of others in your unit. Fortunately the GIS sourcing has proven a quicker, and quite accurate method.

jdlessley wrote:I wouldn't use something like Google Maps to verify a location.

You could use street view to see if you can see an address.

I am going to suggest a 2 sources rule. I didn't start out this way but have found people are wrong often enough to want a verifier.(usually they sound unsure but not always) Mark the location as approximate with the first pass and exact when you get a verifier.

sources
1. Personal knowledge.(still had a few houses that even when I knew where the lived from ground level I had to go drive by and be sure I was marking the correct house)
2. Ward members in particular leadership. Go through the list with each of your presidencies and get more placed. Tithing settlement is another good time to catch people on an individual basis work on the list.
3. Google maps street view may help
4. The missionaries. Odds are it is inactive families they are knocking on the doors for so this one is dual purpose.
5. Community resources.

This isn't a fast operation but accuracy is more important than speed. Just keep nibbling away at this.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'll definitely put them to use.

Something to consider is what degree of accuracy is needed? In a large complex, do you need the right tower, or is something indicating which complex good enough? And how sure do you have to be? Mistakes can be fixed. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

Some may argue for disaster planning - but I have personal experience locating a friend 30 days after a Cat 1 hurricane. I found the home with it's roof gone. I learned from a neighbor that she was with friends several miles away. So even if you locate the old location perfectly, you're probably going to have to ask around.

I think as long as it's close enough to know where to park your car or divide a ward, it's probably good enough. It's unlikely to destroy some great masterful plan if a few members are one building off. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for sloppy work - just that it's better to get them close then to not place them at all. At some point you're going to have to say it's good enough and move on.

I agree getting them on the map is important. That is why the approximate listing was used first. Lets get them on the map and if wrong correct later. By using it you have a way to know that information hasn't been double checked yet.

Personally the accuracy I have been aiming for for end result is to put the marker on the front door or the primarily used door(if different) of the house. That means zooming clear in on the picture and even then the maps softwares moves it a bit after it is placed. That can be corrected by reloading the browser and moving the icon again while under max zoom in. For a nursing home for example by location when I get done you should be able to tell which wing and which side of the hall from the map. But the icons were placed in the main lobby if I didn't know that yet. But some houses with the approximate setting are probably totally correct and others if they are on the same block it is a maybe.

I found in the current help section the specifics as to how to verify a location. https://www.lds.org/help/support/maps/w ... n-location of course I believe your calling would need to be a clerk or Exec. Sec., or Bishopric Member. This is for the new "Ward Map". How does this relate to what this topic is talking about? Maybe we are talking about only google maps in this topic, not "Ward Map"?

1968leocomeeatabite wrote:How does this relate to what this topic is talking about? Maybe we are talking about only google maps in this topic, not "Ward Map"?

No, we're talking about "Ward Map". The instruction say how to verify a location.

This thread is about how to determine the correct location so you can make an accurate verification (short of making a personal visit).

jdlessley wrote:The first is local government GIS sourcing ---

What is this? Is this part of "Ward Map" or is this something apart, on another application?

Is there a thread or topic that is discussing the new way to verify location on the recent update of maps called "Ward Map"?

1968leocomeeatabite wrote:

jdlessley wrote:The first is local government GIS sourcing ---

What is this? Is this part of "Ward Map" or is this something apart, on another application?

The operative words here are "local government" - your state/city/county. Perhaps for such things as property tax assessment. They may have a map that is accurate down to the parcel level. By cross-referencing the local resource with the satellite view in ward map, you have a good chance of positively identifying what building is associated with a member's address.

GIS is a map-based database/application that many governments use to manage the things they are responsible for.

1968leocomeeatabite wrote:

jdlessley wrote:The first is local government GIS sourcing ---

What is this?

For our purposes in discussing verification of household locations GIS (geographic information system) is used by local government agencies to show geographic, building, and other related data on one map. In some areas, local municipalities, counties, and other agencies use this computer system to map streets, buildings, houses, and other man made structures overlaid on natural features. Some of those agencies make these GIS maps available to the public through their web sites free to the public. These GIS maps are quite accurate and are a good source to precisely locate an address without having to physically visit the address.

Some governmental GIS maps are easy to use while others seem to require a degree in GIS programming to understand or use. In more dense population areas where the local government agencies have financial resources to invest in GIS technology the resources they provide online are quite useful. In the more rural or economically limited areas the availability of government GIS online resources may be totally absent. My experience has been good in many of the areas I have lived.

Whether or not you want to pursue using governmental GIS maps to help verify household locations is dependent on the availability, the ease of use of those local GIS map resources, or even your own technology savvy .

You can use an IP geolocation service to obtain an approximate location from where the user is connecting. Compare this with the GPS data received and you can weed out some extreme cases (players connecting though proxy, etc). You can even calculate distances between user logins and if they are too high (say, the location moved 1000 kms between two login attemps in 5 or 10 minutes) notify the user.

However this isn't foolproof and you will cause more than one inconvenience to legitimate players.

One thing I dislike with the new ward map is that all of our verified locations from the previous ward map tool didn't carry over. We get to start all over again

mevans wrote:One thing I dislike with the new ward map is that all of our verified locations from the previous ward map tool didn't carry over. We get to start all over again

For our ward, as near as I can tell, all the verified locations came across just fine.