Re-routing - a very mixed bag

[MikeLip]

When I am testing a navigator I always go off route to see what kind of hissy fit it has. I compare to my Garmin 765t. In this case I also compare to Garmin for Blackberry (GfBB) - both GfBB and Telmap are running on the same platform - a Blackberry 8330 and a bluetooth GPS receiver, a Garmin GPS10X.

If I go off route such as heading north on Ohio OH44 to Rt2, such that the navigator wants me to go east on Rt2. I go west instead. The 765t takes 2-3 seconds to reroute. GfBB can take 5 seconds or so. Telmap does so instantly. Remarkable. If the map is onbard, reroute is instant.

If I go off route in such a way that requires a new map, Telmap can take 15-20 seconds to re-route or longer, easily long enough to miss a new exit or turn. Of course the 765t reroutes in the usual 2-3 seconds. GfBB takes still about 5 seconds. As long as the BB has a data connection, GfBB never seems to take longer than that to reroute.

Maybe Telmap needs to buffer a few more maps in, but then it would be a little more data intensive. To me, a navigator that gets you there as long as you stick to route is par - everyone does that. But a navigator that quickly and correctly reroutes you when you make the inevitable goof takes a lot of the worry out of being in a strange place and is the mark of a good system. Look at your re-routing algorithms, guys.

[TUGAdmin]

I just wanted to clarify a couple of things about Telmap Navigator.
First the application is completely off-board. There are no maps loaded on the device.
So… you ask how we can reroute instantly.
We do that by downloading what is commonly known as a route corridor together with the route.
This is set of data around the route that inherently includes corrective instructions to your destination if you go off-route.
Since we can’t download “the whole world” – if you go far enough off-route (i.e. out of the corridor) Telmap Navigator will send a request to the server to recalculate your route from your new position.
As you noted this can take anywhere from 5 – 20 seconds. It depends mostly on the quality of coverage of the data network at that particular spot.

That’s why sometimes the reroute is instant – and other times it requires a recalculation

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