A large and popular open-source map database used by many companies, apps and websites is currently struggling with a strange problem: fake beaches are randomly popping up in places like backyards, church parking lots and golf courses. And the community knows who is responsible for it: Pokémon Go Players try to catch a rare new creature.
On April 22ndWiglett was added Pokémon Go. This aquatic, worm-like creature is only found on and near beaches and coastal areas in the real world. So if you live in Kansas like I do, you’ll have to drive to the nearest large lake or river to catch Wiglett. Or if the lakes and rivers near you don’t qualify as beaches, you’ll need to travel further, perhaps to the east or west coast of the United States. Well, that’s not the case though, as I was able to use a code to see all the spawn locations for Wiglett in Kansas and it turns out I’m surrounded by beaches! That is, fake.
As reported by 404 media, Pokémon Go Players manipulate and edit the real-world map data the game uses to add more beaches in hopes of catching a Wiglett without having to travel. Pokémon Go uses OpenStreetMaps – a free, open-source mapping tool similar to Wikipedia and Google Maps – for all real-world data and locations. And now that players have figured out the two “biomes” that Wiglett will appear in, they can load OpenStreetMaps and add fake beaches anywhere, frustrating the people who manage the large map database.
In a thread from April 27th, members of the OpenStreetMap community recognized the problem of fake beaches and quickly linked it to the introduction of a new coastal-only Pokémon. It also helped that some players created new beaches in the form of Pokémon balls, which is a pretty obvious clue as to who is responsible for all the new beaches.
Over there on Pokémon Go SubredditUse players an online tool to track beaches and coastal areas in OpenStreetMap to find nearby locations where wiglett might spawn. And some seem surprised that golf courses and other non-beach areas are designated as beaches. Others seem to know what’s going on and are hoping people won’t report the locations until after they get their Wiglett.
As some members of the OpenStreetMap community pointed out, something like this has happened in the past Pokémon Go was published for the first time. People started flooding the tool with new schools and attractions, causing a lot of headaches and bans. It’s likely that this recent influx of fake beaches will end in a similar way.
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