(In)accuracy of camera database

DennisN · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject: (In)accuracy of camera database

We keep saying how the pgpsw database is better than the TomTom one, but with not a lot of concrete evidence presented. So for a few weeks now I've been running TT cameras on my GO550 Live, alongside pgpsw CamerAlert on my iPhone, looking for a decent comparison set. Here are some findings just for today, a run from Bristol to Newmarket and back, via Swindon and Bicester.

A14 Junctions 31 to 34, TomTom has no average speed cameras. Anybody know how long they've been there?

On one single road, the A420 between Swindon and Oxford, TT has several cameras which no longer exist - they were done away with a long time ago - I think in 2009!!!

This one lost its head with the dinosaurs!

There are several like this which have been bagged since 2009....

BUT they DO have one here - on a farmer's cow bridge over the M4!!

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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

DEANO3528 · Lifetime Member Joined: Jan 22, 2011 Posts: 130

Those Camb's one's have probably been there three years, since some roadworks were done. For some strange reason the Specs stayed after the roadworks went!

PiaggioMP3 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 19, 2008 Posts: 26

The A14 cameras have been there quite awhile, as Dean said. They have worked, the A14 is a road from hell, and these cameras have helped on that stretch of road.

As to the subject of the post - Inaccuracy - I do have a comment.

Last Wednesday I had to drive from J10 on the M11 to Birmingham (Snow Hill area) via the A14 / M6 and, as usual, used the camera software as an assist. What completely spoilt the journey was the amount of "mobile" warnings, sometimes three straight after each other with different speed warnings on an unrestricted stretch of road. It made me wonder if (a) some people record a mobile camera to get a free subscription, or (b) are mobile warnings worth anything as at the warning sites, I never even saw a camera unit / van etc.

I am not going to be a goody twoshoes and say I never speed, but meaningful camera alerts have undoubtedly saved me before; sometimes I have either still been over the limit when leaving one speed limit for another and the warning has made me check my speed and saved the points.

Would be interested to hear, Dennis, if you also had a lot of mobile warnings?

Jeff

M8TJT · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 4:23 pm Post subject:

PaulB2005 · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:12 pm Post subject:

As well as the above don't forget to stop the database being cluttered with Out of date mobile cameras any NOT reported as being Seen Again after certain period of time will be removed.

DennisN · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 7:21 pm Post subject:

As M8TJT says, I DO get false warnings for cameras off road - I can see I'm on a motorway, so any camera at less than 70mph is obviously inapplicable.

And I DO get warnings for mobile cameras which aren't there. Because they aren't there all day, every day. But the day I ignore them, there'll be one there. Remember as previously stated, to report any mobiles actually seen (again) operating. I went for months not seeing one on our ring road, then went a fortnight with it there every day around mid day, just because for some strange reason my work took me in that area almost every day.

However, the point of this thread was to compare TomTom cameras with those of PGPSW. We have average speed cameras around the M4/M5 junction, have had them since before January I think, and the roadworks are signed to last until 2014. My GO550 does not warn me of them. On M4 at Newport, average speed cameras were taken down when the new variable speed cameras were put into commission - April last year maybe? TomTom still warns of average speed cameras.

I have been in contact with TT over those three sites (Cambridge, Newport and Bristol), not to put their database right, but to complain that they charge me for Live Services but the database they supply is woefully wrong. They claim that my database isn't up to date and that all three sites are correct in their database. So could other people with Live devices, both Nav2 and Nav3, please run demo routes along those areas to see what they get. PGPSW database is completely accurate in respect of the above three sites.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

bmuskett · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:45 am Post subject:

bmuskett · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:48 am Post subject:

M8TJT · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 7:41 am Post subject:

PaulB2005 · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:13 am Post subject:

bmuskett · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:38 am Post subject:

DennisN · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:23 pm Post subject:

peterjhill · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:17 am Post subject:

DennisN · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:35 am Post subject:

Andy_P · Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:39 am Post subject:

When you say "with few members with CA using parts of the county"?

...what evidence are you going on?

Between mobile phone users with the CamerAlert app. and all those thousands of satnav users with their various versions of the PGPSW camera database installed, I would have thought there would still be plenty of spotters in Cumbria.

Are you just going by that published list as your definition of "well known" mobile locations?
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