Problem with pasted latitude/longitude

Discussions about the Ward Directory and Map tool on churchofjesuschrist.org.
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JimRedd
New Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 12:03 am

Problem with pasted latitude/longitude

#1

Post by JimRedd »

In Thailand, there are no unverified locations. Any change in address causes the member's home to revert to unmapped status. We have made an effort to map, at least the approximate location, of most families in several units.

I was working with a ward clerk here in Thailand last week. I showed him how to mark his home location. I also showed him how to download all the location data from LDS Maps, and keep a copy in a spreadsheet on the ward computer. Then we changed his house number from 777 to 776, and his home reverted to unmapped status.

We then opened the spreadsheet, copied the longitude and latitude of his home, and pasted it into the data field in the window that opens when we click to move the member home. LDS Tools suggested the closest location, which appears to be the default Google Maps location of the Tambon (an administrative area in Thailand usually translated as sub-district which is part of a district which is part of a province) in which this member lived. In this case, the location is more than a kilometer from the actual location of the clerk's home, and is on the opposite side of a major road which bisects the Tambon. When I tested this previously with urban addresses, I didn't notice the difference because the nearest point selected by LDS Tools was so close to the original location.

When we paste the lat/long into Google Maps, it locates the member home exactly. Is there a reason why LDS maps uses a nearby location rather than the correct lat/long?

At this point, the only option is to paste the lat/long into Google maps, and then manually compare Google Maps with LDS Maps to locate the correct position of the member house.

I am scared about the work created for the clerks when the ward is divided. (this ward has 480!! family units) Stake leaders are hoping to divide this ward in only a few months. It would most helpful if:
1. LDS Maps could be set to NOT forget all custom locations when boundary changes are made in countries where no default location exists, or
2. LDS Maps could be fixed so that Lat/Long data maps to the actual coordinates, not a nearby location.
sajohart
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 8:42 pm

Re: Problem with pasted latitude/longitude

#2

Post by sajohart »

As a test, I tried pasting the lat/long into the beta LDS Maps. The result is much closer than with LDS Maps, but it is still using a nearby road rather than the exact location of the member's house.
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