THE ISLE of Jura has finally risen from the deep after spending almost a month under the waves of the Atlantic on Google maps.
Internet giant Google suffered a glitch on their popular mapping tool which meant the Scottish island appeared to be underwater last month (July).
Eagle-eyed locals on the Inner Hebrides island first spotted the error on July 4 and soon contacted to Google for an explanation.
A Google spokeswoman assured worried resident’s that their feet would
soon be dry and apologised for the error – saying their engineers were
beavering away.
After the wait, Jura residents are now delighted to find they are “back on the map” within the last week.
An expert in online maps has said the issue of Jura may point to a structural problem with Google’s map features.
The missing island even prompted Scotland Secretary for Education Mike Russel to voice his opinion on the issue, branding Google’s response “disappointing.”
The local whisky distillery which makes the famous “Jura” brand even launched an “X marks the spot” competition to help Google find the island.
Grant Rozga, who works at the Jura distillery joked: “Well now I guess life can return to normal and people will finally be able to return their homes.
“Our relationship with Google is once again strong.
“It was just a wee bit annoying but I’m glad they’ve finally got us back on the map.
“We will be keeping an eye on them in the future though!”
Mike Dobson, former chief map-maker for US textbook firm Rand McNally, has said the level of detail used in Google maps can make solving problems difficult.
He told an American magazine keeping track of changes in online maps was difficult: “You have a big database system that tracks all these identities.
“Keeping order in that system can sometimes be difficult.”
Jura, in the Inner Hebrides, measures 31 miles long and with its highest point at 785 metres.
It was where author George Orwell penned 1984 – having narrowly survived an encounter with the notorious Corryvreckan whirlpool.
Jura is not the first island to have disappeared from Google maps.
In 2010, two French islands off the coast of Newfoundland completely disappeared.
