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MapQuest and other apps still label Lake Ontario by its former name
After a reported U.S. order renamed Lake Ontario “Lake America” in the United States, MapQuest said it would not change its label and several alternatives still show Lake Ontario.
A reported executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario “Lake America” in the United States, and mapping applications including Google Maps have made the change, according to the report. Maps embedded on websites operated by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Hydro One, Metrolinx and the Canadian government have drawn criticism for displaying the new name, largely because of third-party map services.
Google Maps localizes naming disputes by a user’s country, so users in Canada will not see Lake America in the app. The report cited the East Sea/Sea of Japan naming dispute: North and South Korea use East Sea, Japan uses Sea of Japan, and Google Maps displays names according to location while showing both to international users.
MapQuest said on social media on Aug. 27 that it would not change the name in its systems. Downloads on iOS and Android then rose sharply, putting the app near the top of the free-app charts in Canada and the United States. The Washington Post described that as its highest ranking in the company’s 30-year history.
The report’s author found MapQuest routes direct but said it sometimes failed to show road closures, including a route through a nearby road closed for construction. The app has a cycling feature but no public-transit option.
Organic Maps, available on iOS and Android, offers route-to, route-from and save functions, as well as public-transit directions. The author said it did not always default to GO train service. A route to the CN Tower recommended multiple buses and subways for a three-and-a-half-hour trip rather than Lakeshore East. Users must also download some maps before use.
Other alternatives include TomTom, OsmAnd, Organic Maps and CoMaps, which use data from the free, community-driven OpenStreetMap platform. OpenStreetMap still showed Lake Ontario when the article was written, meaning services using its data should as well. HERE WeGo, developed initially by Nokia and now owned by a consortium of car makers, has been described by some as comparable to Google Maps.
Waze was excluded because it is wholly owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc. Apple Maps was initially included, but a Sept. 1 update said Apple had changed Lake Ontario’s name in its app following pressure from Trump, so it was removed from the list.