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Joined: 11/07/2002 14:36:40 Posts: 23848 Location: Hampshire, UK
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:53 pm Post subject: TomTom Offers Speed Camera Data to Licence Partners
You would be forgiven for wondering whether TomTom had a straight face when they penned "The most complete range of speed camera warnings", "provides warnings not readily available from most content providers" and "represents the widest coverage of the freshest data" as a description of their speed camera data.
But those are the words TomTom chose to describe their speed camera data in the glowing press release announcing the launch of the product to licence partners.
I'm sure those of you who have had opportunity to sample their data and compare it with ours might use some other words to describe it, perhaps 'laughable', or 'riddled with errors' or containing more mistakes than an MP's expenses claim'.
And at the bargain price of £34.99 per year, it makes my earlier post about charging for our database all the more relevant. They freely admit to sourcing data in part from the user community so where is their reward to those who contribute? Do they get free access for life, a year or even a discount on their next renewal? No they don't.
TomTom need to stick to the services they are good at, navigation and traffic, and leave the rest to those who can offer a decent service. TomTom have been offering speed cameras for some years and the service is no better now than it was when they started but it is more expensive.
So if you were in any doubt as to where to spend your money when sourcing speed camera data, be you an individual or a TomTom license partner, www.pocketgpsworld.com is the answer.
Joined: Aug 31, 2005 Posts: 15355 Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:27 pm Post subject: Re: TomTom Offers Speed Camera Data to Licence Partners
their PR is all 100% true:
News Team wrote:
"The most complete range of speed camera warnings"
Yes, they have a complete range of warnings - they have some that do a beep, some that go ding, some that go wibble wibble, awooga awooga, ding ding, dong dong, buzzzzzzz...
News Team wrote:
"provides warnings not readily available from most content providers"
yes, they warn for cameras 200m away from where they exist. most content providers will have them in the correct place.
News Team wrote:
"represents the widest coverage of the freshest data"
if they have 1 camera on the west coast of america and one on the east end of russia then, travelling west to east, i'd say that's pretty wide coverage. i can certainly smell something fresh - can't decide if it's the countryside or the PR...
Joined: 30/12/2002 17:36:20 Posts: 4919 Location: Oxfordshire, England, UK
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 2:07 pm Post subject:
Is this an early April's Fool story? _________________ Robert.
iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 14.0.1: iOS CamerAlert v2.0.7
TomTom GO Mobile iOS 2.3.1; TomTom (UK & ROI and Europe) iOS apps v1.29
Garmin Camper 770 LMT-D
Joined: Apr 04, 2006 Posts: 10118 Location: Bexhill, South Sussex, UK
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 5:24 pm Post subject: Re: TomTom Offers Speed Camera Data to Licence Partners
News Team wrote:
"provides warnings not readily available from most content providers"
What would these warnings be then?
You have also probably noticed the word 'most' in the quote. So we must be included in with those that that are not included in 'most'
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:54 pm Post subject: "provides warnings not readily available from......
Darren is absolutely correct
The PocketGPSWorld camera database is very accurate, no doubt in part to it's members providing new sightings etc.
I was recently given the TomTom safety camera database as a present. Their website states the database is updated twice weekly, so why then does it provide warnings for Fixed safety cameras that have NOT existed for years!!! and continues to do so!!!
Seems to me the twice weekly update is very much out-of-date!
TomTom GO 730. App 8.351
Map: West & Central Europe V865.3245
Joined: Dec 08, 2004 Posts: 10644 Location: Suffolk, UK
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:04 pm Post subject: Re: "provides warnings not readily available from......
Alfygiz wrote:
Their website states the database is updated twice weekly, so why then does it provide warnings for Fixed safety cameras that have NOT existed for years!!! and continues to do so!!!
It may be updated twice a week, but there is no mention of Lead Time. _________________ Richard
TT 910 V7.903: Europe Map v1045
TT Via 135 App 12.075: Europe Map v1145
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 14905 Location: Keynsham
Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:02 pm Post subject:
It is difficult to have a sensible discussion about TT's cameras, they are so awful. I have two devices with current Live services subscription, which includes access to the camera database. But I deleted it from both devices long ago and have no intention of reinstating it. It's not as if I've never tried it. With both devices purchased separately and some time apart, I kept the TT cameras on for quite some time to do a comparison - I was safe enough doing so, as I have more than just those two, so I had pgpsw database on another one to keep me on the true path!
The two just do not compare. Sure, we can argue 'til the cows come home as to whose mobile data is best, with no vans in sight most of the time, it could be argued either way. But with fixed cameras like the Specs Average Speed ones, there is no question about the existence of any camera - it's plain as a pikestaff that it's there or not there as the case may be. And TT usually have it the wrong way round - there when it isn't, not there when it is, if you see what I mean. At the very least the TT database is notably out of date. I'm driving 50-60,000 miles a year, so I know what I'm seeing, not just pottering about town with the odd excursion at weekends. _________________ Dennis
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 9:33 am Post subject: Tomtom speed cameras
Hi, I've got a tomtom & a Road Angel unit, who are supposed to supply TT with the camera data. Well they are both out of date, TT is the worst of the 2 as some of their supposed data is so far out of date that you can't even see where a fixed camera was.
On the M4 near Heathrow, one side of the road is 50mph and the other is 70mph, TT pings up the speed warning whichever side of the road you are on. In Watford TT pings up a camera that has not been there for over 2 years. Your page does not have enough space to list them all.
I pay for the R.A. updates monthly which for fixed cameras is sort of upto date but, why Oh why does it ping up mobile cameras that have not been there for over a year?
As always, you get what you pay for. I always try to keep under the speed limit but, how easy it is to creap above the limit.
I, too, run a Road Angel Connected next to a TT GO 1000 LIVE. I find the Road Angel Fixed camera database super accurate and - you are spot on here Darren - the TT ccamera database is derisible. What is worse about the TT is the false marketing. They claim to have LIVE updates for cameras, but these are only for mobile ones. The fixed cameras still need downloading manually, and this feature - and others - is just not available.
Can anyone tell me, can we now add the Pocket GPS database as POIs to the TT GO 1000?
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:31 am Post subject:
invisible wrote:
Can anyone tell me, can we now add the Pocket GPS database as POIs to the TT GO 1000?
YES!!!!!!
There are instructions for the new models here.
(If you can't find it in the future, there are also links to it from the camera download page, just below the "Download" button)
However, do note that currently you can't add the "ogg file" voice warnings available on this site.
Your options for warnings are therefore:
1. Use one of the standard "bing bong" sound effects - quick and easy, but no audible mention of speed limit.
2. Type in your own warnings for each camera type and speed and get the Text-to-Speech voice to read them out - very laborious!
3. Re-name the camera files to something suitable and get the TTS voice to read out the file names instead.
----------------------------
If you want to try option #3 and you use a PC, you can use a a simple "batch file" to rename them automatically for you.
You simply save it in the same folder as the camera files and double click to run it, before you copy the files onto the TomTom each week. See below for an example.
Here is a sample "batch file" (courtesy of member GerryC) which you can use, or modify to give your own warning speech.
It may LOOK scary, but all you need to do is copy and paste all the text inside the box (ignore the "code" bit).
Save the above as a text file (using Notepad or similar), then rename it as "Rename.bat".
Unzip the camera files as usual, copy the batch file into the same folder and double-click it. The names of all the files magically change in front of you ready to copy across onto the TomTom.
(Don't worry if there are any lines for files you don't have, it will ignore any extras).
----------------------------------------
Other notes:
Using the 'brief' warning settingon the TomTom, you get "Camera! 20 miles per hour, 200 yards" etc.
The "~" just shoves them to the bottom of the POI list on the TT (though first on the PC).
We've used "camera" instead of "Gatso", as the speech system recognises the word better than "Gatso", but feel free to experiment with your own version of the text if you feel confident.
Remember you only need to copy the .bmp icon files to the TomTom ONCE. Just replace the .ov2 data files each week when you want to update.
Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:23 pm Post subject: Tomtom Speed camera database v yours!
It would seem perfectly obvious to me that yours is what I would call a dynamic database. Ie It is (or seems to me) to be run mostly by members of your 'group', in that we are encouraged (by a reward of life free membership) to submit changes and corrections! To that extent it is rather like a club, where members are asked to contribute if they can! I suggest (but have no proof) that the Tomtom database relies on such things as the annual AA atlas....
Anyway, I'm sticking to Pocket GPS World! It hasn't let me down yet, though I do use a Tomtom satnav!!
Keep up the good work!
Mike
(Edited by mod. (AP) to remove personal details - It's probably not good to have these visible on the open forum!)
Posted: Today Post subject: Pocket GPS Advertising
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