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TomTom to Map Fiji using Holidaymakers
Article by: Mike Barrett
Date: 6 Jun 2012
TomTom have announced an initiative to map five tropical paradise islands including Fiji, St Lucia, Mauritius, Cape Verde and the Seychelles. However they do not intend to roll out the TeleAtlas (sorry TomTom Maps) vans, but rather they are looking for families to assist them in the mapping venture.
In fact it will be a dream come true for the lucky winners as they not only get an expenses paid trip to Fiji (or other tropical islands) but they will also be paid $15,000 for the two weeks exploration vacation. All you have to do is drive around the island mapping the roads…
To enter all you need to do is head over to TomTom's Map Paradise project and fill out the application form.
On a slightly more serious note, this is all good publicity for TomTom, but looking at things realistically TomTom are claiming it 'can take anything from a day to two whole weeks' to map the island. Obviously to do the job properly will take a lot longer then that. Even two weeks of driving around the island will probably not even cover the road network sufficiently let alone the hundreds of places of interest that will need to be added to the collected data to make it useful.
OK I realise that this is mainly a TomTom publicity exercise, but it is somewhat ironic that last week TomTom were lampooning Open Street Maps for creating community based map products, then this week they are asking for families with no mapping experience to make their maps for them.
So come on TomTom what is better? Professional Maps made by unexperienced holidaymakers, or Community Maps made by dedicated local enthusiasts?
You may want to go to Open Street Map and type in Suva, Fiji to see how well Fiji is already mapped. You could then go to TomTom's Mapshare site and try to see what they have currently for Fuji assuming that you can find it (it is due north of New Zealand).
The official TomTom Press release:
London, 1 June 2012 – TomTom today kicks off its Map Paradise Project, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for five families or groups of friends to spend two weeks on a tropical island and earn £10,000 for mapping it. The Map Paradise Project will help create five new navigable maps for Fiji, St. Lucia, Mauritius, Cape Verde and the Seychelles. To apply, applicants simply need to fill in a form at www.tomtom.com/summer
Successful applicants can take up to four family members or friends with them to help map a paradise island. In total, five groups will be sent on all-expenses-paid mapping assignments and each group will earn £10,000. No mapping experience is needed, but TomTom is looking for people who enjoy exploring beautiful places, don't mind great weather and who have a decent sense of direction.
Those selected for the Map Paradise Project will simply need to drive around the island in a specially equipped mappingcar. This mapping field work will take anything from a day to two weeks depending on how much time is spent sunbathing, swimming or exploring.
“The very first step in creating an accurate map is proper field work, and that is where the Map Paradise Project comes in,” said Corinne Vigreux, managing director, TomTom. “This project will not only create five new navigable maps, it will also give people a unique insight into how our maps are made. And where better to start mapping, than on a beautiful paradise island.”
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| Comments
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 Posted by M8TJT on Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:29 pm |
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This looks remarkably like this post by Darren over a week ago 
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| Posted by MikeB on Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:34 pm |
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| M8TJT Wrote: | | This looks remarkably like this post by Darren over a week ago |
Not quite... Darren's post was about TomTom criticising community generated content rather than professional cartographers. This post is about TomTom doing a 180 and offering a family the opportunity to generate their maps..
I suppose they are professionals as they are being paid $15,000 but need no mapping experience.
Mike Barrett |
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| Posted by MaFt on Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:54 pm |
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I think he was referring to my reply where I mentioned about this 'prize' 
MaFt
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| Posted by M8TJT on Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:30 am |
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Yes, that's the one. Thank goodness for that, but I see that the link to the competition entry is now broken 
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| Posted by bmuskett on Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:44 am |
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Here you go. Good luck.
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| Posted by M8TJT on Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:40 am |
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Jeez, this is gobsmackingly hypocritical 
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| Posted by Guivre46 on Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:17 pm |
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So what are we guessing? How many holiday-makers laid end to end will cover Fiji's roads?
Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
Go 530T - unsupported
Go550 Live [not renewed]
Kia In-dash Tomtom |
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