D-Day Tomorrow For Route Planner

satmapian · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 14, 2009 Posts: 59

Grumbling here serves only to publicly slate the company that we all need to survive. They may deserve this in some circumstances, but not in this case IMHO.

I was one of those who e-mailed OS. When I received my reply I simply assumed that they will have completed their red tape. It would be a significant step closer, but I would have expected Satmap to take some time to put what I imagine are finishing touches to the project. That's just my feeling though. I have nothing else to go on, and neither does anyone else.

If you're disappointed why not e-mail Satmap and let them see your reply from OS, and ask them if they can give an ETA, based on the fact that the ball is hopefully in their court now? If you get a reply at least you'll have some fact to go on rather than supposition.

4ndynorfolk · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:49 pm Post subject:

This just speculation on my part, but I saw in another thread, that an update to satsync is also imminent.

I can see the logic in delaying the route planner until there is a better, hopefully more versatile tool to move routes between Satmap and pc.

A good example is the contributor who copied a large file onto his Satmap, and then couldn't delete it.

I agree, however, it would be good to be kept informed.

Bosun · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 5:45 pm Post subject:

Bosun · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 5:56 pm Post subject:

4ndynorfolk · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 7:02 pm Post subject:

I think I must have emailed Satmap 4 or 5 times since I got may Satmap last June. Never had a single response, though I understand that many people have very fast and helpful replies.

I have always used the "contact us" link, which uses the "info@satmap.com" email address. Am I better using a different address?

The telephone service is excellent.

terry8 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 03, 2005 Posts: 44

I also have never received a reply using info@satmap, but if you use Send us a message: under frequently asked questions you will receive a response within a short period of time.

Terry

Dave_the_Hiker · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2008 Posts: 48

Satmap hardly ever respond to emails but are very good if you telephone. It's almost as if they hate communicating by any other method other than by telephone.

As far as the route planner is concerned I understood that it was ready over a year ago. The only problem being agreeing licencing terms with OS. I know that several of you want to give Satmap the benefit of the doubt but it should be up and running by now.

Like others, I wouldn't be surprised if the next annoucement is that Satmap have gone bust.

Negative YES but they can't carry on like this and hope to survive.

Just because they are a small British company doesn't mean that we shouldn't be critical where it's deserved.
_________________
SatMap Active 10 - 1:50K maps
Garmin Vista HCx - Topo GB II, City Navigator Europe.
HTC Artemis - Memory Map, Tomtom 6
TomTom 520 - 8.320 firmware 815 maps.

Gibbo10 · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:34 pm Post subject:

I have always found Satmap resonds quickly to emails.

OS told me that they had resolved the legal issues and expected Satmap to be able to go live on 9th Feb.

I emailed Satmap this week and they responded the same day and said that it will be a week or so!! but they were no more specific than that. So I wouldn't expect to see it just yet from that response.

Whilst like many others I am frustrated that it is not yet available, if there are things to be sorted out with it I'd rather wait until they were fixed.

Otherwise there would be more moaning about them releasing the product too early.

I do however agree that that Satmap could do themselves a PR favour by being more communicative through there website a simple blog would be fine.

Bosun · Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:27 am Post subject:

I have had this very full reply in response to my e-mail to Satmap:-

Hi Ian,

You are working off a timeline that was issued by OS not by the company
producing and uploading the route planner! The route Planner is on its
way, we are currently uploading a HUGE amount of mapping data on to the
servers, which includes the whole of the UK at 1:25k and 1:50k, the
whole of the world in virtual earth and also google maps. And for our
route share forum the whole world in satellite imagery, terrain and
google earth. Data like that takes days to upload.

We could only start this process once we received the contract from OS,
which was the 9th. We understand there is a lot of people waiting to see
this and we are anxious to get it up there as much as anyone. Please be
assured that we aren't sitting on our hands with this project. The heavy
snow last week means we had no web staff for three days add that to the
fact that we have had some overzealous customers trying to access the
route share site without our permission, thus meaning our guys had to
spend 2 days of software planning adding extra security to our site.

I hope you now understand that it is not just a case of clicking a
button with the route planner. We have invested hundreds of thousands of
pounds on this project, there is no one on earth who wants this up on
the website more than we do.

Many thanks,

Lewis Price
Sales & marketing executive
Satmap Systems Ltd.

Dave_the_Hiker · Occasional Visitor Joined: Dec 13, 2008 Posts: 48

I'm very happy with that explanation.

Just goes to show that it IS a communications problem. If that had been posted on the website we would all, I am sure, have been satisfied.

We might grubble about OS who jealously guard their copyright and make us pay for the same map several times but Satmap are not to blame for that.

Let's now all sit back and TRY to be patient.

Dave
_________________
SatMap Active 10 - 1:50K maps
Garmin Vista HCx - Topo GB II, City Navigator Europe.
HTC Artemis - Memory Map, Tomtom 6
TomTom 520 - 8.320 firmware 815 maps.

Bosun · Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:11 pm Post subject:

Yes you are correct Dave,one simple posting on the site and we would have all kept quiet ( probably ) Very Happy

Satmap themselves however did give the distinct impression that the Planner was ready to roll, that it was only the OS holding it up and not that a lot more work needed doing first.

In my reply thanking Lewis Price for his prompt response I have suggested ( although I imagine it has been suggested many times before ) that they set up a blog.The time it takes to update it every week or so would be more than compensated for in the reduction of e-mails and phone calls they need to respnd to.

Ian

Martin-R · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 09, 2008 Posts: 9

Very amused that the web guys' inbility to get to work in the snow held them up... if anyone should be able to work from home, it would be them!

Martin, whose team of coders lost no days to the snow!

4ndynorfolk · Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:36 pm Post subject:

Gibbo10 wrotr@

satmapian · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 14, 2009 Posts: 59

Thanks for the feedback on that e-mail Ian. Very useful. Sounds like a lot of data and one hell of a route planner/sharer. Very Happy

Gibbo10 · Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:43 pm Post subject:

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