Note To TomTom: Please Fix Your Routing Engine

[Andy_P]

[Anita]

[Andy_P]

It was meant to be a joke, Anita....(obviously not a very good one!)

I was referring to the "spurious" major road closures that have been happening recently with Map Share, which were apparently "verified by TomTom".

[DennisN]

Mapshare is not the answer. The OP is in USA so this will not be totally in his experience, but I think he'll get the drift. Today, I went somewhere I haven't been before. As usual, after setting the route in GO720, I browsed it at altitude to get the idea of where it was going and it was pretty straight, then zoomed to closer level I could see the final street junctions. Heading for a road called The Gug at the back of a village. When I was within about a mile and a half, I got a bear right instruction, which I followed confidently into a country lane and all went well. Except that a mile later, I came back out onto the A road I'd turned off.
Both roads were technically national speed limit 60mph, so the shorter route was theoretically quicker. Neither was safely driveable at 60mph. The A road would stand 40+, the country lane 30mph and less. With Autoroute Express previously (sadly no longer - they too have dropped the feature) I used to set something like six different road classes to suit my driving and expectations, starting with 58mph for motorways, down to 10mph in towns. That worked pretty well for me.

What the OP is asking for is Tom Tom to do the same with their algebra rhythm things for deciding the route. I happen to think TT have got those things right, but the map info is NOT right. Whether that's TeleAtlas not doing a good job or TT not using it properly is the problem. I suspect TT are not keeping enough info in their maps to cope with this - we've seen many instances of TT reducing map detail to squeeze them into memory. I believe (I think Andy said the same recently) that with recent new maps, this has got progressively worse with each release over maybe 18 months.
_________________
Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[Oldboy]

[Anita]

[Skwark]

What about the anonymous logging data or statistics your device submits back to TT HQ every time you connect it to Home? I always thought this was so they could build up routing profiles to avoid slow routes (e.g. average speed for users on X road is 10mph so avoid in calculations). Or are they just collecting it for the hell of it? Or should I be rushing down to the patent office??!!

I also sit in traffic (when my TT says it's clear) - not their fault as they go with what they have, but I've wondered if they could use that wireless connection (similar to their Vodafone model I guess) to feedback users stuck on routes into the traffic database - but then I guess how would you filter people parked up, broken down, etc. Maybe a report button???

[DennisN]

[ajsasr]

In my estimation there are two things that need to be addressed. The first might be map detail. I think it's very interesting that when you "demo" a route, the speeds the TT uses are not correct (going either too fast or too slow for the road you're on). If that's a function of map data, then it's on TeleAtlas to fix this. It's very possible that if you fix the first, then the routing engine issue might be fixed.

I'm trying to find someone with a x10 unit and 660 Navteq NA maps to plan a route from A to B and then do the same thing on a x20 unit using NA maps. If the route is the same, then we know it's an engine issue. If it's different then it's a maps issue.

[Andy_P]

I think you are getting worked up over a fundamental limitation of all satnavs. They simply are not intelligent. Going back to your first post, you said:

[ajsasr]

I disagree. I think the units are smart enough to know not to have me take an exit, cross a road and then take the on ramp back to the same highway I just got off of.

[martin_Lancs]

The debate about Satvav vs. human judgement is an interesting one, and something that the BBC recently put to the test when they set up a challenge to see which would be quicker - a person slavishly following a TT Go720, or a London Cabbie, across London.
Guess what... the cabbie won!
There are so many variables to consider that a knowledable driver familiar with the local roads and conditions should win a satnav. That is not to say that a stranger unfamiliar with local roads, or lacking knowledge of local traffic jams won't be beaten by satnav.
The human has one thing the computer brain of the satnav does not - commonsense.
However, most of us use satnav becaiuse we are unfamiliar with where we are going and it's a darn sight quicker than constantly pulling over to map read and correcting on wrong turns. Built in traffic jam avoidance on the newer models also adds a killer feature.
Here is the link if your interested:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/7143897.stm

[plank0]

As a truck driver TomTom does send me down some odd roads and routes just to make the run quicker, which is what it is designed to do, which is OK if your in a car, but not in a truck. We need an option to say were in a car or truck, or falling that, one which is mostly motorway and major roads only!.
_________________
Plank.
Manchester, UK.
TomTom Go720T +TT Work
Version 7.481 (9086/080324) OS:3024
GPS v1.21, Boot 5.4106
Western_Europe v710.1561
TT RDS-TMC: 4V00.010.2

[ajsasr]

Well I just had an interesting discovery. This thread first started with an issue of my TT720 routing me off a major highway on a 60 mile trip even though every single satnav, and web directions program said I should have stayed on the highway.

After having several people run demo routes using different versions of maps, map vendors, and sat navs I have come to a conclusion.

I used by backup and an SD card to load 7.05 NA maps on my TT 720. Then I asked it to route to the destination that start all this. What I discovered is that it routed my the way it should have. Going from Cullman, Al to PF Changs in Birmingham it has be take 65 to 20 to 280, the best route. Version 7.10 maps have me go 65 to Rte. 31 to 280, a less desired route. Why? Well that's a question I plan to pose to Tele Atlas. Something significant, in my estimation has changed in their maps within a minor revision.

[Oldboy]

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