Five amazing cases when Google Maps saved a person's life
We are used to taking smartphone apps for granted and using them in everyday life. Including the "Google Maps" application, which probably everyone has: flag your favorite coffee shop, send coordinates to a friend, find your way in an unfamiliar area, build the best route on a trip.
But have you ever thought that sometimes maps can save in extreme situations by doing something that an entire search group cannot do?
Sander Coquelard, a Belgian businessman, was abducted by one of the former employees of the company where he worked. The kidnapper decided to take a valuable employee hostage for ransom, arguing that the former boss owed him a substantial amount of money.
However, the resourceful Sander managed to hide the phone and, while the criminal was not seen, sent his location to the boss via Google maps. After 2 hours, the man was rescued, and his abductor was arrested.
5-year-old Saru from the Indian hinterland got lost at the railway station and could not remember the name of the village where he lived, did not know how to return home, as he did not remember the way back. The boy ended up in a shelter, and he was adopted by a married couple from Australia. Already as an adult, he suddenly remembered that he was born in the wrong city where the orphanage was located, and wanted to find his family and hometown. He used Google maps to find this area, and soon found the city where he was born and his family.
Based on Saru's autobiography, the film "Lion" was shot — a nominee and winner of many prestigious film awards, including the Oscar.
More than 23 years ago, 5-year-old Luo Gong went to kindergarten in Sichuan Province in China and was abducted and transported fifteen hundred kilometers to the southeast.
The boy did not know the way back, but he remembered that he lived in a city near two bridges. The child was sold to a family that treated him well, as did his grandparents, who raised him after the death of his adoptive parents. Years later, Lou came across a website dedicated to reuniting missing children with their families. The guy published his story and with the help of volunteers found out that a family in the city of Guanggang lost their son 23 years ago. After Lu, using Google maps, he tried to identify his old neighborhood. In the end, he noticed two bridges, which he remembered, and was able to return to his family after 23 years.
18-year-old Austin Bohanan, without telling anyone, went hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Turning off the usual path and going deeper into the forest, the guy lost his way. The cell phone stopped catching the network, so the teenager decided to turn off the phone. The next morning, the rescue team started looking for the guy, but could not find him. So Austin wandered around the reserve for 11 days until he turned on the phone again. Despite the absence of a signal, GPS continued to work, the guy launched Google maps and with their help was able to get out of the park, and a little later he was found by rescuers.
A 9-year-old girl, Natalie Maltais, was taken by her grandmother for the weekend as part of a joint custody agreement. However, the woman was not going to return her granddaughter to her legal guardians. The police decided to track the stolen one using a mobile phone signal and a street view function via Google maps. Law enforcement agencies were able to find Natalie and return her to her family.
Keywords: Google | Maps | Mobile app | Rescue