I recalled something from TomTom. According to the TomTom web site, new
TomTom products support Map Share (tm). To quote from
http://www.tomtom.com/page/mapshare: "TomTom’s unique Map Share
technology enhances your navigation experience, letting you make instant
corrections to your map directly on your TomTom device. You can also
receive similar corrections made by the entire TomTom community of Map
Share users." One does this by connecting the unit to TomTom Home
software running on Windows or Mac.
It sounds like a partial solution for map updates if you are part of the
"community." Does anyone have any experience with it?
The web site also says they sell map updates, which I think may be free
for the first twelve months on purchases of new units (but I don't know
- I had trouble finding details during the quick look I took). Sorry
this response isn't more definitive.
-Andy
Rev. Stewart Marshall wrote:
It is not so easy.
Garmin, TomTom and others buy their maps from a couple of companies.
TeleAtlas, Navteq etc. These maps are only updated every few years!!!!
Right now if I punch in the street address for my church it sends me
1.5 miles down the road. Reason for this is that 6 years ago they
redid all the street addresses for E911. Before they were a mess. If I
put in the old street address it finds it dead on. Just this past
summer I saw a van from TeleAtlas in the area doing some remapping. So
I expect some change in the next couple of years.
If you live in a highly populated area expect your map to be more up
to date etc. Again density and population determines how often your
area is remapped by these companies. (who then sell these remapped
areas to another company etc. etc.)
Oh I can download updated Points of Interest from the TomTom site.
Some are done by the company (Home Depot etc.) and are more accurate
and up to date.
Stewart
At 02:10 PM 1/20/2009, you wrote:
I've got a Garmin and have generally been amused, but somewhat
disappointed by what it thinks it knows and doesn't know.
It knows where Home Depots are located, just not the one that's 15
minutes from me (that's been in the same location since the late
1980s). It suggests I drive 2+ hours to find one. The same goes for
Trader Joes and a slew of other places. A local hospital moved 2
years ago and last year's map didn't know about it. It doesn't even
know where the Costco that it came from is located.
On the amusing side, it knows the abbreviation "SC" stands for South
Carolina. I programmed in a location for a business with "SC" in the
name. It tells me, "now arriving at South Carolina...."
It knows how to read street names for the most part. Expressway
is...well Expressway, but Expwy is "ex-pweee"
Also, it is rather amusing that if you program it for "shortest
distance", the directions will take you off the freeway, onto the
exit ramp and then back onto the freeway again. Apparently that's
.0001 miles shorter than just staying on the freeway.
I called Garmin and the kind person I spoke with (after waiting on
hold for 30+ minutes) didn't understand how it doesn't know the
various locations. That was with updated maps too.
I suspect businesses have to pay to have their locations identified?
Larry
Rev. Stewart A. Marshall
mailto:popoz...@earthlink.net
Prince of Peace www.princeofpeaceozark.org
Ozark, AL SL 82
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