neil01 Frequent Visitor
Joined: May 06, 2005 Posts: 902 Location: Leeds
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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Unfortunately it is not as simple as some people think. Yes it is the responisbility of the Navigation Software to use the map information correctly, but it has to remain the responisibility of the map providers to provide the (increasing amount of) information required.
If you have a system where information about any particular road is not part of the map data itself, you are simply asking for trouble. Take for example a new major road which just happens to take the route of an old narrow lane, or a road which is incorrectly mapped and moved to its correct position. If the information about the position, and other data about the road itself is maintained by the same people in the same set of maps, we have a far greater chance of the two sets of information matching. If they are maintained by two separate companies, I think that there will be far too great a risk for incompatibility.
If you want the same company to be responsible for both, this would involve either the satnav companies producing their own maps, or the map companies producing their own satnav programs.
Obviously if there is useful data held in the maps which the satnav companies choose not to use, or use incorrectly, then that is another matter, but having two bodies responsible for subsets of data - I just don't see it as a practical situation.
PS I am not referring to POIs (of which safety cameras are an example), which I strongly believe are best maintained by dedicated groups who can dedicate time to their maintenance. I would even go so far to say that today, I think that more groups should produce their own POIs downloadable from their own websites, for example I see no reason why particular store groups, petrol companies, national Trust etc shouldn't provide POIs downloadable from thie websites - far more chance of them being accurate when compared to the offerrings from the commercial sources, who just can't give them the resource they require. I for one, would be quite happy for my satnav program to be provided without any in-built POIs, just the processing required to handle the ones I loaded (but that is just a personal preference which I would not wish to impose on anyone). |
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