| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to Google Maps directing users incorrectly and having orientation problems occurred within the same organization, Google. The article mentions the issues experienced by the user during a vacation in Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, where Google Maps led them astray multiple times, causing frustration and inconvenience [29665]. The user also mentioned that Google was aware of the reported issues and was working on fixing them to improve the service for all users.
(b) There is no specific mention in the article about similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to design issues. The article mentions problems with screen orientation, incorrect representation of the car's location, routing errors, and issues with tracking orientation accurately. These issues point towards contributing factors introduced during system development or updates that affected the functionality and usability of Google Maps [29665].
(b) Additionally, the article also hints at operation-related failures. The user experienced distressing frequency of the app showing the car driving off the road, incorrect routing directions leading to frustration, and even being directed up a steep and narrow street that was not suitable for driving. These issues could be linked to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system during the navigation process [29665]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article about Google Maps experiencing screen orientation issues, showing the car driving off the road, providing incorrect routing directions, and even suggesting driving up stairs in Rijeka, Croatia, indicates a within_system failure. These issues were directly related to problems within the Google Maps application itself, such as orientation problems, incorrect routing algorithms, and display errors [29665]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. The issues experienced with Google Maps, such as screen orientation problems, incorrect routing, and misrepresentation of the car's location on the map, were attributed to factors like GPS signal blockages, network spottiness, and software glitches [29665]. These issues were not directly caused by human actions but rather by technical limitations and errors within the software itself. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is primarily related to hardware issues rather than software issues. The problems experienced with Google Maps, such as orientation problems, incorrect routing, and showing the car driving off the road, are attributed to GPS satellite signals being blocked by buildings and trees, as well as occasional spotty network connections. The article mentions that the GPS issues were distressingly frequent during the trip, leading to incorrect directions and orientation problems [29665].
(b) The software failure incident is not explicitly attributed to software issues in the article. However, it does mention that the app had problems with orientation, routing, and providing accurate directions. These issues could potentially be related to software bugs or glitches within the Google Maps application. The article also mentions that Google was aware of the reported issues and was working on fixing them, indicating that there may have been software-related issues contributing to the failures [29665]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The issues experienced with Google Maps, such as screen orientation problems, incorrect routing, and difficulties with tracking orientation, were not due to malicious intent but rather technical glitches and errors in the software [29665]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article highlights issues with Google Maps' driving directions during a vacation in Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. The incident involved various problems such as orientation errors, showing the car driving off the road, providing incorrect routing directions, and even suggesting driving up a steep and narrow street that ended with stairs in Rijeka, Croatia. These issues led to a lack of trust in the app's navigation capabilities, indicating a failure possibly due to poor decisions in the software development or mapping algorithms [29665].
(b) The software failure incident also mentions factors like GPS signal blockages, network spottiness, and difficulties in orientation tracking, which could be contributing to the inaccuracies in navigation. These factors suggest that the failure might have been influenced by accidental decisions or unintended consequences rather than deliberate poor choices in the development process [29665]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to development incompetence. The issues experienced with Google Maps, such as screen orientation problems, incorrect routing, and misrepresentation of the car's location, point towards a lack of professional competence in the development of the app [29665]. The article highlights various problems faced by the user, indicating that the software may not have been adequately tested or optimized for real-world navigation scenarios.
(b) The software failure incident can also be considered accidental, as some issues like GPS signal blockages and network spottiness are external factors that can contribute to software malfunctions unintentionally [29665]. These accidental factors, combined with potential development incompetence, led to a frustrating user experience with Google Maps during the author's vacation in Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in Article 29665 regarding Google Maps experiencing screen orientation issues and providing incorrect directions can be categorized as a temporary failure. The issues mentioned in the article, such as orientation problems, showing the car driving off the road, routing in the wrong direction, and suggesting taking stairs, were specific to certain circumstances during the author's trip in Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy. These problems were not permanent but occurred intermittently during the journey, indicating a temporary nature of the software failure incident. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The article mentions that the Google Maps app experienced frequent crashes during the author's business trip in the UK, but it seems that these issues have been fixed since then [29665].
(b) omission: The software failure incident involved the Google Maps app omitting to perform its intended functions correctly, such as showing the car driving off the road, providing incorrect routing directions, and even suggesting taking stairs when the road was blocked [29665].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the article.
(d) value: The software failure incident involved the Google Maps app performing its intended functions incorrectly, such as misrepresenting the orientation of the car on the map, showing the car driving off the road, and providing incorrect routing directions [29665].
(e) byzantine: The article does not describe the software failure incident as exhibiting byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident was the inconsistent orientation of the arrow representing the car on the map, including instances where the arrow was oriented sideways to the road or even pointing backward while the road extended forward, requiring an app restart to fix [29665]. |