[aprssig] Computer Mapping Products/Data (was Re: Earthmate Delorme)

[Drew Baxter]

At 10:31 PM 6/23/2005, KC2MMi wrote:
>Drew-
>  The only way to get "turn by turn" mapping of roads is by buying it.

Perhaps you're unclear on what I was saying.

As you know, Turn by Turn navigation products are available through a 
variety of vendors, such as Garmin, Tomtom, Inav, etc.

Delorme has a product called Street Atlas 2005 Handheld.  It requires 
uploading of tracks (much like the non-routing Garmin Map-based 
handheld units do) in order to do point to point (turn by turn) 
navigation.  You cannot tell it simply "go here, from where I am", 
and it'll draw the route along the roads for you.  Delorme's Handheld 
product is deficient in this manner.

I told Delorme that their map data clearly represents the majority of 
this state in particular (which it should, they're here) and that I 
would BUY a handheld software product from them that had turn-by-turn 
navigation, but I would not buy SA2005 Handheld.

I'm unclear what you mean by 'buying it'.  Of course I'd buy it, 
that's how you usually get something you want? :)  I buy Delorme's 
Topo and SA every time a new revision comes out, I just want a 
stronger product on the PDA.

>Of course that still leaves the problem of incorrect state
>mapping/demapping. Sometimes roads are mapped, but never built.

My GPSMap76S with Mapsource V6 has the roads up here in Maine that 
are in the woods in Landshare.  Landshare is a 400 sq mi area owned 
by a paper company that is also public use for camping, etc.  It's 
the epitomy of "Get off the paved road and get on the dirt road".  It 
varies from state to state the quality of the data.  Here in Maine 
(short of the comments I made earlier regarding my road being offset 
and the new interstate numbering), we have very good data.

 > Don't expect that from
>"computer mapping" companies, save your stamps. DeLorme even includes
>errors--intentionally--to prove data was taken from their products.

I've had good contact and provided markers for the road when it was 
incorrect to a variety of places.  It's correct now, after being told 
by Navteq that they'd be redoing this region in the following year.

Most of the products out there use Teleatlas or Navteq for mapping 
data.  The integrity of the data (as you stated I believe) varies 
depending on where the data came from as well as when.  Some areas in 
NJ are 12-20 years old depending on the area, for instance.

This thing about Delorme making their data incorrect is something 
I'll have to look into. I have no example of that here.

--Droo, K1XVM