CP5 continuously re-routes (on-route)?

wibbly · Frequent Visitor Joined: Dec 20, 2003 Posts: 315

I'm a new user of CP5 and have read many of its routing woes on this forum. Is it my imagination, or does CP5 initially find a fast route (via the most major roads), and then CHANGE the route over time, even if you stay on route?

I've only had it a few days, but I'm sure I've been stuck in a traffic jam and seen it plot a more appropriate route ahead for no apparent reason other than it's had more time to "consider" the initial route...

W

jdw7 · Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:40 pm Post subject:

It's never done that for me without manual intervention (i.e. tapping the detour button). I kind of like the idea that it would/could though.

iankb · Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:55 pm Post subject:

If it beeps at the time that it performs a recalculation, then it probably thinks that you have strayed off the designated route, and so calculates a new one. This could be due to inaccuracies in the road mapping, or the GPS has temporary problems with accurate positioning. I have heard that the new Sirf III chipset, while handling poor reception very well, may cause the position to be misreported by 10 metres or so during that period.
_________________
Ian

iPaq 2210
Globalsat BT-338
Seidio G2500 Amplified Vent Mount
CoPilot 6, GPS Tuner 4.2, Navio 3.01
BMW 330ci Sport

wibbly · Frequent Visitor Joined: Dec 20, 2003 Posts: 315

It didn't beep.

John

BMWBiker

wibbly · Frequent Visitor Joined: Dec 20, 2003 Posts: 315

I will tell you if I notice it again.

It was like this... I reviewed the route, think at the time 'Doh! Two sides of a triangle". Then started my trip and before the first turn got stuck in a jam for 20min+ moving a few feet a every few minutes. To aleviate the boredom, I then looked at the overall route again on CP5. It'd changed, now taking the route I'd have wanted/expected...

W

BMWBiker · Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:46 pm Post subject:

Wibbly,
Hmm, the logical explanation would still be that you somehow deviated from the route (or a GPS error made it seem so), so that a recalc was done, and somehow you missed the beep and the recalc screen.

But you make it clear that the re-route occurred before your first turn and that there was no 'beep' (your volume was up, right?), so there is the possibility that CP said "D'oh!" about the same time you did and performed a spontaneous re-routing. That would be wonderful, I look forward to hearing about it again.

One theory I've had about bad routing (mentioned also by others): a compromise is probably made to give you the best solution in a reasonable amount of time. To appear more responsive, CP 5 may terminate the iterations earlier. If so, it would be nice if it 'sponataneously recomputes' or gives you the option to allow it more time to think things through.
_________________
Doug
CoPilot 6.0.1.24 (USA)
Compaq iPaq 3970, with PC2003
Navman sleeve (3400)
Blue Tooth GPS

wibbly · Frequent Visitor Joined: Dec 20, 2003 Posts: 315

Indeed. Being used to TTN3, you have an option to do a 'full recalc' or not. Just thinking (hoping?!) CP5 did this change on the fly.

And to all those who thing CP5's routing has 'lost the plot', so to speak, in the short time I've been using it, I've found examples of where its behaviour is indeed odd, and where it even initialy takes a BETTER route (over smaller A roads) than TTN3 - one that have to try hard to get TTN3 to take by manually getting it to avoid some roads!

So I'm thinking so far that both products have room for improvement...

W

wibbly · Frequent Visitor Joined: Dec 20, 2003 Posts: 315

Just noticed in the PC help file:

===
Better yet, if you should miss a turn, encounter heavy traffic, or simply decide to go a different way, CoPilot's dynamic directions automatically provide you with an updated route to your destination.
===

Maybe it DOES do this automagically?

J

iankb · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:09 pm Post subject:

BMWBiker · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:35 pm Post subject: automatic re-routing

Wibbly, good find in the PC help.

The statement you found clearly says automatic re-routing will be done in the case of encountering heavy traffic. But I took this to be a mis-written description of the (manual) Detour Feature.

I also hope someone from ALK will clear this up.

Meanwhile, the next time I see a dumb route planned I will try to slow to a crawl or stop, and wait for a better solution to automatically appear.

But even if true, it doesn't help the real situation where you and friends are going to take a group trip and you have to come to quick agreement on the best route. In these cases I have more faith in the Garmin solutions. In principle all algorithms should arrive at the identical quickest or shortest route if they are using the same map data and can take all the time they want. So maybe it is largely a matter of computation time.
_________________
Doug
CoPilot 6.0.1.24 (USA)
Compaq iPaq 3970, with PC2003
Navman sleeve (3400)
Blue Tooth GPS

wibbly · Frequent Visitor Joined: Dec 20, 2003 Posts: 315

iankb · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:05 pm Post subject:

One of the problems as I see it, is that most, if not all, Navigation packages use the road classification (M, A, B, local, or whatever) as an indication of road speed. In practice, the frequency of junctions, and the density of surrounding roads, would probably give a much more accurate indication of speed.
_________________
Ian

iPaq 2210
Globalsat BT-338
Seidio G2500 Amplified Vent Mount
CoPilot 6, GPS Tuner 4.2, Navio 3.01
BMW 330ci Sport

wibbly · Frequent Visitor Joined: Dec 20, 2003 Posts: 315

Maybe... until people started complaining about all the exceptions proving that for them, where they live/work, there's "10's" of roads where that approach doesn't work! Rolling Eyes

So you then wind up with a product that's highly configurable. As TTN3 was. And they took out config options in TTGo/TTN5, to make it less complex for customers...

You can only please most of the people most of the time. It's not easy arbritrating on product design. Very easy to get wrong.

W

BMWBiker · Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:05 pm Post subject:

Clearly there are different trip types for different people at different times.

But all of these could be almost ideally satisfied with a slight expansion of the user interface to allow better and simpler customizing of the routing algorithm, with named sets of options. In each set you could store preferences to Favor/Avoid the different road types.

At the moment there is just one current routing option set, and that one does not cleanly transfer to the PPC.

For example, expand options to:

Vehicle type:
o Motorcycle (allow all roads, including unpaved)
o RV (avoid sharp turns, U-turns, small roads)
o Car (avoid unpaved roads except for extreme cases like cutting the distance in half; ideally prompt driver to expect dirt)

Trip Types (named option sets):
o Quickest
o Shortest, practical
o Shortest, absolute
o Adventure (favor unpaved roads, absolute shortest)
o Scenic
o User defined 1
o User defined 2

Each set could include your customizing over-ride of the default speed associated with each road type as well as the favor/avoid preference.

For further simplicity a large set of named options, with descriptions, could be available at installation time, and you could choose the subset that interests you.

I have sent this to a wishlist and separately to ALK but never heard any response.
_________________
Doug
CoPilot 6.0.1.24 (USA)
Compaq iPaq 3970, with PC2003
Navman sleeve (3400)
Blue Tooth GPS

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