Navigator map errors

[Dave]

Hi Chris, I would expect to see the maps being offered publically to anyone having problems in places X,Y,Z etc or it will be just a new CD available asking people to mail back their CD to upgrade to the latest version, perhaps like which was offered for the Wales problems.



I'm afraid I don't know any more than everyone else regarding timescales. I have been told that TomTom will keep me posted, and I will post on the website and in the forums here when we receive more information back from TomTom.



Regarding updated program/drivers ? I haven't been given any dates for release of the next versions, I guess it depends if there are many problems reported. We've found a couple of problems so far, I would expect days to weeks rather than months though.

[ChrisH]

Thanks for that, Dave. you are doing a great job with this site - I really appreciate it



Chris

[MarkE]

5 Don’t quite Get Lost in Dorset: my experience of the TomTom Navigator



I have just purchased TomTom Navigator and a 256meg Compact Flash card for my HP Jornada 568. TomTom appeared to be the only Pocket PC GPS application to offer a single map of the UK that would sit on a 125MB CF and use a serial connection so that the flash card slot was usable.



Here is my experience thus far:



The install went well except for the full (?) UK Map, which kept on crashing with the message “Disk Not Accessible” when trying to install directly from the CD. I eventually overcame this by using the extract to a directory on my PC and then using Activesync to cop to the CF in my Jornada.



I then discovered that the drivers had been up dated to 1.41 (all the best companies do it) having downloaded them it took a little time to figure out how to install them.



Trials of the system around Bracknell & Fleet went well with turn perfect precision.

My set up struggled a little with calculating a new route when I deliberately took a wrong turn and refused to turn round as requested. I kept driving and TomTom would find and fix a start position which I drove thought before Tom-Tom had calculated the new route at which point TomTom would stick a new start flag on the map … which I again drove thought before TomTom could calculate the route, this continued until I stopped and TomTom managed to catch up, calculate the route and re-commence navigation.

I guess you just have to stop and give TomTom time to catch up…. I didn’t see this highlighted in the instructions.



I was recently in Dorset & Somerset and my experience there suggests a lot of both counties has gone missing on my version. I guess I need to ask for a MAP upgrade if comments on the web are correct, here is what was less than optimal:



The initial destination programming was for city = Marnhull, Street = Burton Street. It proved impossible to find on the drop down menu on TomTom so I thought “it’s a small place perhaps it is too much to expect in 80MB of data I look for another bigger village close by and go MK1 eyeball and map the rest of the way… I found city = East Stour 3 miles to the north and with a street called Burton Street. I plugged it in and off we went.



The journey had the following errors:



M3 to A303 it’s a slip not a roundabout



Just outside Shaftsbury the A350 Grosvenor Road “vanished” TomTom” tried to get me to turn round until 1 mile further the A350 Grosvenor road was re found. At no time did I turn off A350.



But apart from that TomTom got us door to door and down some country lanes in the dark with uncanny precision to Burton Street Marnhull. Fantastic !



During the weekend I wanted to go to Yeovil ton near Ilchester, Downhead and Podimore, the only name I could find close to Yeovilton and in the City drop down box, then to choose the street (I had no idia) but the street names like Silver street, gave me choices of Yeovil, (which I could not find in the drop down “city” box) and Silver street Winchester.   This left me with the conundrum which Silver street should I try for ? This is a real issue if I knew exactly which street I was looking for fine….. but since I don’t I cant select any because of the chance that I am going to end up in Silver street Winchester if I am unlucky.

It would be helpful to have a village centre option for the “Street” drop down box.





Driving toward the M3 along the A303 on the safety speed screen “The City of London” was shown as the position at 31miles from the M3 on the A303 the M3 was indicated as the current road…. A database issue I assume.



Minor niggles are the “cross roundabout” rather than enter     cross being a misleading direction in many cases. The other was “bear right” rather than “at the end of the road turn right” on the occasional road junction.





It’s a great system only spoilt by the inconsistency in Place and Street name Data exhibited by finding streets under the wrong place name and the missing place names in Somerset & Dorset.



I really hope the maps get better soon.







Mark Ellis










_________________
TomTom Iphone

[Oldie]

On the whole my experiences with TomTom Navigator GPS in the UK have been very good. The GPS finds satellites very quickly and keeps them whilst driving (it even finds 4 or 5 in my car in the garage!!). Version 1.41 is certainly the best so far, in 1.20 I experienced problems when the safety speed was exceeded. The missing towns and map errors are a problem however. I have reported two road errors (one on the M25 and another on the M3) and the lack of town names in SW England. To be fair I have always had a reply from TomTom, but they say that the errors will be reported to TeleAtlas. I have often gone off route and Navigator has always been quick to re-route me (no problem there for me at least).

It would be nice to have a non-motorway option for routing. I have tried altering the various speeds to avoid motorways and although it works TomTom do not recommend it as it can take a long time to calculate a route. If you opt for the shortest route you end up going down all the lanes!!

[Dave]

Four more problems have been reported to us from Richard in an email who has reported these to TomTom:-



1. There is no way on or off the M3 motorway at the following grid reference Long: 1 14'13" W, Lat: 51 9'23" N. The nearest interchange is some distance to the north.



2. Many place names from southwest of England and the names of most of the major places are missing. Bridgwater, Barnstaple, Bideford, Bude, Wadebridge, Newquay, Redruth, Penzance, Helston, St Austell, Liskeard, Okehampton, Honiton, Yeovil, Dorchester (Dorset), Frome etc. Okehampton Camp is shown but this is not the town. Yeovil Marsh is shown but again this is not the town.



3. The section of the M25 between Junctions 19 and 20 is not used by the router. A detour to the A41 and then back to the M25 is made instead.



4. Brooklands Road, Upper Hale (Waverley) is blocked to road vehicles between Upper Weybourne Lane and Brooklands Way (the restriction is located at about 0deg46'59"W, 51deg14'08"N). It is possible to walk through.

[MickyFinn]

I have experienced the jumping off bridge problem on a few occasions (travelling M25 - M40 Chalfon St Giles) and on other journeys. It is so annoying if you didn't spot it as you have to drive miles to the next junction to turn around. I also think that it is dangerous as it distracts the driver.



The only solution so far is monitoring the distance to turn and when it gets close peeking at the map.



It's a real shame because other than that it is excellent!!



Micky

[alanparrott]

Is there a list of map errors held other than these threads?



I assume maps are updated by the mapping people but can you/me/we submit errors to them or the Software vendors.



As an example I live in a small one way street in Windsor (been like that for a few years) but as such is not shown on the map. Are the mappers interested in our comments (individually/collectively) I accept they may need to double check them.



If so I would be happy to contribute all the errors I find.



Thanks



Alan

[Ianh]

Alan,

Dave has a full list of all major map problems that he keeps up-to-date and forwards from time to time to TT.



TT Missing In Action



Enjoy!!!



Ian

[M@rtin]

Another town missing from the database - Hyde in Tameside. It's there, but you can't search on it, and adding a favourite labels it as Hyde, Compstall which is a completely different place! Also, I noticed that the one way markings on Nelson St are out of date, as this changed at least two years ago...



Another one is if you route from M67 going anticlockwise onto the M60, it tell you go left at the roundabout, down to the next junction, then turn round and come back, instead of going right at the initial roundabout!

[pabs]

Ihave also found many towns in Devon missing:Newton Abbot, Totnes, East Allington, Kingsbridge, Dartmouth, Salcombe, Ivybridge.



Another anomaly is if your route takes you north to the end of the M57 then onto the M58. TomTom Navigator treats this as a continuous motorway whereas it is in fact a complicated route around a very complicated roundabout. It gives no voice guidance at all!



What is the current position reagarding updated maps? I bought mine in September so I assume it is an old version.
_________________
pabs

[kingy]

I have only recently bought TTN. I live in North Wales and regularly drive between Chester and anglesey. I notice that the menai bridge is now linked to anglesey but no britania bridge or A55 to Holyhead. The Queensferry bridge bypass between the A55 and Flint shows me driving over the marshland. What is the most updated version that TT is currently shipping.

[Dave]

v1.21 CD is the latest which fixes a few problems within Wales and is a free upgrade if you have a 1.20 CD, but you have to contact TomTom Support and then when you have a reference number, return the CD to them and they will send out a v1.21 CD.

[hollis_f]

So, any idea when an update that fixes the SW will be available. I'm planning a trip to Devon/Cornwall in April and I'd rather not have to send the CD off twice in a couple of months.

[Dave]

The Realistic part of me says it probably won't happen until the next annual release of Navigator or it's next incarnation, the other side of me says it really should be available asap because of the problems experienced.



Please note, I do not have any insider information on this, so these are just my personal views. The problem is most of the problems are TeleAtlas based it would seem, which means that TeleAtlas need to go out and confirm these problems, then re-map the areas, and then add them to their maps, and then forward them to TomTom to include. This needs to be scheduled amongst all their other work, so I really don't think it will happen within 6 months, 12 months may be optimisitc. Again just my views!

[Neverlost]

These errors and omissions appear to be down to TomTom, or at least the conversion to the PDA format. On the TeleAtlas site you can use the on line map and see that Dorchester (Dorset) does exist, the Isle of Wight contains real roads etc. Also the VDO C-IQ in car navigation system, which is based on TeleAtlas, doesn't have any of the errors listed in the previous postings. So someone should prod TomTom.

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