The Future of Sat Navs
Prompted by a number of posts on CT and other forums regarding sat nav performance and the availability of mapping information on and off line I found >this article< on a web site. It is about Google Maps but there are other organisations undertaking the gathering of similar information e.g >Openstreetmaps< from where the data for >OsmAnd,< which is also a sat nav App, originates. I found it quite an eye opener especially the linked article to the >Google Blog<. It just shows what data can now be gathered and used in mapping applications.
Limited use of Google Maps can now be made off line and OsmAnd have produced a note comparing the two. You can read it >here< One thing they do not mention is the amount of information Google gathers about your use of their application in fact in order to use it you must approve the gathering of this information. Some may not like this.
Some of this data gathered by these organisations most likely finds its way, to varying degrees, into many of the Sat Nav applications currently available but what I think it does point to is today’s stand alone sat navs will be yesterdays gadget in the not too distant future.
peedee
Comments
-
What is really needed is a genuine measurement of the UK Road system, similar to Google Earth but with laser scanners instead of cameras.Then vehicle entered dimensions will actually mean something ,and the extra cost of using such data will be well spent.Unlike the present Truck software which STILL sends Caravans Motorhomes and Trucks down unsuitable lanes and roads. Perhaps in 2016 ????
Until then, a paper map,road atlas is still an essential
As well as a Sat-nav.
Not every has or wants a Smart-phone.
0 -
Ray, I haven't any problems with Co-Pilot Truck in fact I ran a test the other day just to see if it really does recognise no go areas. This is what I did.
I set it to navigate between two points where the ideal route passed under a low bridge which my motorhome could actually just use. With the motorhome parameters set up in the sat nav the route shown did indeed use this ideal route. I then went into my settings and increased the height of my motorhome to exceed the bridge height and the replanned route would not use the ideal route under the bridge. It took a long detour to get to the destination but it did route me along a road I knew had an HGV ban on it, so, I again changed the parameters of my vehicle to increase length to 10 meters and weight to 30 tons and an even longer route came up using all major roads avoiding both the bridge and the HGV road restrictions.
I am confident my Co-Pilot truck sat nav does what it says on the tin when it comes to these restriction. However, when I tried a route between two points where there was a width restriction of 6ft 6 inches involved, it failed miserable. When I set my vehicle width to 7ft 11 inches it still provided a route through this restriction. Bridge heights seem to be well documented but road widths seem to be a little more difficult and the only way of insuring you don't end up on a narrow road is to have a sat nav which allows you to set road preferences. An old dodge with earlier TomTom devices which allowed you to set road speeds was to set the minor road speed to zero so if you then asked for the fastest route it never ever selected a minor road.peedee
0 -
Legal restrictions such as 6.6 width limits are still documented, eventually, but physical narrow roads,lanes are not...ever unless someone measures them. I have 2 Tom toms, a one version 2, and a 1005 camper version. But wouldn't completely trust either
of them.BUT, wouldn't be without them either. Thanks for the useful info, happy new year. Ray.0 -
i'm told that sat nav thefts have dropped dramatically. They are apparently regarded as yesterdays technology as the smartphone with a nav app is taking over. they will of course hang around for a while as did the fax machine but I guess they will be obsolete one day.
0 -
Most electronic devices will be obsolete and superceded one day, but like your local Bank branch closing, some will be inconvenienced by its passing. Not all new devices are usable by or even desired by everyone. I want my phone to be just a phone, nothing more.I want a Sat-nav to be a Sat-nav not a Swiss army knife and master of none. (I do own a Swiss army knife....But also a proper tool kit). The fact that they are not attractive to thieves is an advantage in my eyes.
0 -
That is fine Ray as long as long as you can buy them and they are still supported. Have you tried buying a CRT TV lately. Some may like the style or even the picture quality but where do you get one and will it work on the digital network.
peedee
0 -
Smart phone and tablets are so good these days, that a proper docking facility in the car is the only thing missing. I dont want a radio, cd, or anything else. Just a place on the dash where my tablet can be mounted. I can then have my sat nav, telephone,
music, etc. I could also see data from the vehicle engine. Get a diagnosis on faults, rather than just a limp mode light. Car radios and sat navs are expensive and do a lot less than a good tablet or smart phone.Peedee. Funny you mention CRT. In photography, its only until recent times that LCD has equaled crt performance (some would argue that it hasn't). LCD has, until now been a right royal pain to calibrate the colour profile as well. I have to say, I still
prefer the picture quility of a good crt. But, times move on, yes everything is now lcd in my world. Overall, I'm pleased with that.0 -
Those lucky enough to be buying a new Fiat motorhome will find that the ‘note-pad thingy’ in the middle of the dash will rise up and hold a tablet. Fine, so long as you can keep the sun off the screen. If they made one to run on a Kindle with ‘paper-white’
screen it would be better…0 -
Mapping systems are improving, but still have a long way to go. Companies are unlikely to want to survey minor roads because of the diminishing return on their investment but a system collecting data from its users may eventually be able to cover such ground.
Meanwhile, SatNav systems ought to provide the degree of confidence in the routes they are offering, based on the quality of the data being used. Users should be able to “avoid doubtful/only use confirmed roads”. My SatNav is happy to direct me down narrow
streets with cars parked both sides when diverted. The intended route, on main roads, is usually fine but the less-well charted side-roads are often unsuitable for large vehicles, even though they might have been in theory.0 -
We have always used our car sat nav (garmin) with the caravan. After failing to download the latest maps we have given up on it. Aldi are selling a Garmin Caravan Satnav with pre loaded camp sites on it in a week or so at £199. This seems a good price compared with Amazon. My question is... Is it really worth getting one of these or just a Truck sat nav on Ebay for about £60. (Some actually have a caravan setting). I have read that some of things still send you down unappropriate roads. Having always mistrusted our old sat nav during the final stages of any camp site find, and reverted to the Caravan Club hand book instructions, can I really trust anything ? Does anyone have any experiance of of either system. Pros and cons. The preloaded sites would be good, but we don't exactly tour without prebooking, so would not need campsites at short notice. However I would like to relax a little from worrying that we will be sent up a single track road!! It has happened to us.
0 -
... can I really trust anything ? ...
Yes! Your own eyes! If your sat-nav is trying to send you down a single track road use common sense and ignore it unless you know for sure that it's the correct road. sat-navs should always be used in conjuction with common sense & someone with a map
0 -
Yes we now always have a back up map and try to stick to only A roads. However we have found that some B roads are actually better for Caravans than A ones. If the Sat Nav says .....Lane we totally avoid. The road I mentioned was a single track road that
actually reduced from a two way road so we had no indication of this. We are total novices.0
