Speed Camera Database to Turn Professional

[Andycambs]

It's amazing after 53 pages of responses - the mods still haven't managed to formulate a response - and by my reckoning, most of the posts are against the principle of charging.

[Pakt]

It looks like the ostrich syndrome (heads buried in the sand & hope it goes away) is well & truly in effect with the PGPSW guys (They usually update the safety camera info on the 23 of each month or there abouts) - They also seem to have ignored all of our comments.

Then the thought occurs - Or is it that no one has sent any updates to them
Maybe if no one has sent any updates and the info is out of date now by more than 4 weeks its on the decline anyway and they have started to drive ! (excuse the pun - its intended) its forum members away
Its a shame - a real shame -
This looks like the begining of the end for PGPSW. Take Heed PGPSW guys if you cant cope with it give it back to the people who created the data info and let the members of the PGPSW forum run it. If this is not about greed (Making a profit from freely provided data) then let it stay as it is and let the members update it automatically with a new data input forum.
DONT KILL THE SITE & THE DATABASE WITH YOUR OWN GREED

[chris123]

Just to add my 0.02 GBP...

I appreciate just how much effort goes into producing the database from the raw data, with all the different gps system formats that are now included. As a Mapopolis user, the speed with which the new beta POI warning functionality in Mapopolis was supported was very much appreciated.

I'd like to give my continued support to Pocket GPS World, but as others have said would prefer to see the option of an annual fee and alternatives to paypal.

Cheers

Chris
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HP 614c
McGuider 7.54
Memory Map
PocketGPS speed camera database

[soweezy]

just in case any of you missed it, it was mentioned earlier that PGPSW are considering what to do and will be posting any decision tomorrow (Thursday)
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SW

Garmin Zumo 390LM

[gonor]

To the non greedy I thank you.

[Calligrapher]

Yes, I noticed posts appear and disappear - thought I was getting older than I thought, could it be the new, more powerful aproach?

Please, don't just censure, talk sense to us!

[Paul-m]

well it is worrying and of great concern that we may be being manipulated somewhat.
When i made may last post i was the first entry on page 57. Since then my post has slipped back 2 places.

[pushandpull]

In my previous post I referred to some of you as "moaners" to which some of you have objected. OK - if the term offends you then I sincerely apologise for it. But what should I call you? What ever term I used would upset somebody! (If the cap fits wear it!).
However, I still maintain that moaning (or whatever else you want to call it) about the fact that the database is going chargeable will NOT achieve anything. It's a fait accompli, it's done, so we should be discussing a fair and reasonable charge and method of payment.

I also said there was no alternative and several of you have pointed out that there IS an alternative (free) database apparently being set up. Great! But -
(a) I have been unable to find it and as you say it's address is apparently being censored off this forum.
(b) If it is being set-up now it will be nowhere near as comprehensive as the existing PGPS one and will take a long time to become so.
(c) What will happen to it when it eventually become as large and comprehensive as the PGPS one? Will the people running it be able to handle it as well as PGPS currently do? And who is going to pay for the required bandwidth on their site?

Deja Vu? Or to put it another way - how much will they charge when it becomes to much for them to handle?!

Come down to earth and get realistic. Running something as big as this is NOT a simple part-time hobby thing. It's a full-time occupation.

Incidentally I am not a Capitalist. I am an OAP who's had to save very hard to be able to afford the GPS gear I have and I still have no objection to a charge for the database - providing it's a reasonable one.
.

[Skippy]

It's interesting to see that this website runs Linux, Apache, PHP and a ton of other Open Source software. The people who wrote this software decided to release them for free because it's the right thing to do.

The Speed Camera database grew up the same way, through the contributions of a large number of people. You should abandon the idea of charging for the database and give it back to the community that created it.

Just my £2 worth....
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Gone fishing!

[Sallet]

For goodness sake "pushandpull", there is always an alternative!!! Why be so negative?

There have been countless alternatives put in this forum and I have only read a fraction of the 57 or so pages. People have suggested volunteering, leaving it as it is i.e. free, voluntary donations etc. How many governments have said there is no alternative only for the next lot to come along and implement the alternative?

As for the new database not being up to scratch, well I have the last free issue which should keep me going for a month or so until the new one is available on the "unmentionable" web site.

I for one will be patient and will sit and watch this formerly excellent site thrash itself to destruction.

[stf]

I wonder what will happen if any press pick up on this... It's going to be interesting to watch the matter unfold.

[Dissapointed]

An interesting thought is that there may be a legality situation here.

PGPSW probably do not own the data, they probably do own the collection of data (ie. database) but not the data itself.

Given that there is a question of that nature, perhaps seeking council might be an idea.


Another interesting legal question :
There is also the promise [that it would always remain free] under which subscribers have contributed that data. That has formed part of the contract between PGPSW and their subscribers.

[conroyd]

It's a bright and early crisp clean but slightly frosty Thursday morning...

And it's still very quiet, but I guess it is still very early...

[mark1968]

I thank that it would be a great shame it a charge system is introduced.

If it is I would prefer a monthly payment option instead of a annual subscription as I do not intend to download the database every month.
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Please follow me on twitter @mdyson1968

[Rotas]

Let’s get some perspective here.

We’ve all benefited from PocketGPSWorld.com, for free, for some time now. The site is incredibly professional, easy to use, very informative and extremely helpful. The site has tried to raise income through a donation system and my guess is that it just doesn’t pull in enough to take the site on.

We have become spoilt; we have become too used to getting something for nothing. Let’s say you drive an average of 20 miles a day passing 10 cameras over 30 days, that’s 300 reminders a month, at £2 that works out at just over ½ pence per reminder.

I KNOW many people are saying they are not objecting to paying and its just the per download issue. However, like most, I download POIs every month, if I started to do this every two months I wouldn’t find a huge difference and it would cost me just £12.

I agree that the suggested two tier system sounds good as many ‘newbies’ would be unsure of spending £20 up front for something they know little about. However, these guys aren’t asking the world, pay the £2, pay it monthly, you get a lot more on the site than just speed camera downloads. If PocketGPSWorld.com was a bi monthly magazine with a free POI CD on the cover, they could easily charge £5 in the shops. I’d buy it.

Let’s remember, they’re trying to employ someone here to make a very professional ‘hobby site’ into something more. How much do you pay out on your hobbies at the moment? It’s time to give back for something we’ve enjoyed for free for a long time. If you don’t like it, pay TomTom your £45 a year.

Finally, if you really really do rely on up-to-the-minute information on camera locations, then I would suggest you should watch your speed more and drive with a little more ‘due care and attention’. £40 and 3 points is far more than £12, £20 or even £24 a year.

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