NAVTEQ Update: Not Impressed
More than eight months ago, I enthusiastically blogged about NAVTEQ Map Reporter, a service that lets you submit updates to the NAVTEQ maps database. I finally heard back from them, here is their response in its entirety:
Thank you for your recent Map Report. We have completed our investigation of your Map Report.
For the NAVTEQ tracking number: 0056Q5WWIJ2VO2HB
Submitted on : 18, Oct 2007 20:31:10
Problem Description: This is my house. It shows up 1 block away from the correct location on every mapping service.Our Resolution Outcome is: No Change Necessary – Database Reflects Reality
Details: It was verified that the database was recently updated by correcting the addressing along St Nicholas Ct in O’Fallon, MO. Specifically, it was confirmed that the address of 36 St Nicholas Ct is located to the west of St Agatha Ct. No further changes were necessary, and the information in this request was already corrected prior to the receipt of this inquiry.
NAVTEQ delivers regularly scheduled map updates to our business partners which include many database enhancements. The release dates for these products will vary depending on each individual business partner. If you are interested in an updated map for your navigation system, please contact your system provider or review this link for NAVTEQ’s distribution partners.http://www.navteq.com/ProductFinder?Language=en&action=location&path=mapupdate
Please let us know if you find any additional areas that we need to review. Once again, thank you for contacting us and for visiting our website.
For more details, proceed to your Map Report at http://mapreporter.navteq.com
NAVTEQ delivers regularly scheduled map updates to our business partners which include database enhancements. The commercial release dates for these products will vary depending on each business partner’s product plans. If your Map Report did not result in a database change, please note that we track these items and evaluate them with our business partners on a regular basis to enhance navigation system performance.
Having the latest map in your system makes a difference to system performance with the latest roads, addresses and Points of Interest. If you are interested in an updated map for your navigation system, please contact your system provider or check our online store at http://store.navteq.com.
We welcome your feedback on the NAVTEQ Map. Thank you for helping to keep the NAVTEQ Map the most accurate and highest quality in the business.
Regards,
The NAVTEQ Map Reporter Team
This is also known as “blowing you off”. In fact, I know where my house is. As I reported last year, my house is NOT west of Saint Agatha Court, as they claim. In fact, their “updated” map is wrong, in precisely the same fashion as it was wrong last year.
They did not fix the bug, which means this flawed data will continue to be fed into all downstream mapping services and devices for the foreseeable future.
“Database reflects reality”??? Nope. “It was confirmed…”??? I’d sure like to know how they “confirmed” this.
I have the 2009 NavTeq maps for my Garmin and your address is incorrect as you state.
However, I used to have a TomTom and that was far worse. The TeleAtlas maps and TomTom were so bad I could never go on a road trip without having backup maps and directions. I can’t tell you how many times I entered an address to have TomTom send me off in the wrong direction only to have me turn around later and send me back past my point of origin to get to my destination. I had other problems with the TomTom maps and directions too. I finally got fed up and bought a Garmin Nuvi 760. Huge improvement. Traveling with the Nuvi has been significantly more reliable and I’m comfortable using it without backup paper maps/directions.
The NavTeq maps aren’t perfect, but in my experience the alternate is much, much worse.
Did I mention how much the TomTom sucked?
You might want to check with your city or county engineer’s office (or whoever handles plating in your municipality). They probably have it wrong, and are considered the definitive source.
You may find there are reprojection issues on the creation and import of the maps somewhere. Maybe reprojecting from WGS85 ro OSGB36 or some such scheme. This can often lead to incorrect positions on maps which can be anything from a few metres to hundreds of metres depending on where you are on the planet.
I hope NAVTEQ figures out how to solve the map update problem, It sounds like your update was easy enough to verify. Remember a few years ago everyone was signing up for DSL and the fiber was not even run to the CO yet? I think the problem is similar, the manpower just has to catch up with technology first. The future of GPS does look brighter to me.
Many months before the new map release I sent Navteq two pictures of street sign intersections near my home in Virginia showing that the Pine Oak Court on their maps is really Pin Oak Court and that River Parkway on their maps is really River View parkway. So the new maps came out and these changes were not made.
So, if anyone is looking for River View Parkway they’re not going to find it using a NAVTEQ map equipped GPS.
And the road where my office is located, built over two years ago, still does not show on NAVTEQ maps.
I’ll spend my $60 for my NAVTEQ Map Update when they make changes that I can see and know that changes were made…
I just received a update flier for my Chrysler factory navigation system supported by Navteq. My system runs off of a DVD. The update price? $200! At that price, I’ll risk getting lost until it shows up on bitTorrent.
When a Map Report is submitted to NAVTEQ, even though your change might have been fixed in the database it could take awhile for that change to be seen by the end user and show up on mapping websites or your navigation unit. “NAVTEQ delivers regularly scheduled map updates to our business partners which include database enhancements. The commercial release dates for these products will vary depending on each business partners product plans.”
In addition, your map report might take awhile to be fixed in the database. Just think about the number of submissions they must get on a daily basis!! While each map report is answered, obviousley if someone reports a missing highway for example, that is going to take priority as opposed to one person saying his house is 1 block away.
Well, I can tell you that a road that has been in place for 5+ years in the Raleigh area (North of Sanford on US-1) is not in the mapset that I bought on my new Jeep Grand Cherokee 2008. $200 for the update and I am not even sure if that would be in their update.
I am to receive a call back within 48 hours from NAVTEQ regarding my 2009 update for my Chrysler factory installed navigation system. I am hoping to get a refund and just continue to use the older version. The problems? System would spontaneously reboot. Trip info would drop and screen would revert to map mode. For previously stored addresses I would be given directions to the wrong location. Bridge and highway construction that has been completed for 18 months did not show on the maps. Businesses in existence for years still not showing. I received my update just prior to leaving for a trip from Northern CA to Washington State. I wish I had brought along the older version Map Data disc. On the upside, on the 2009 version, my house does appear on the correct side of the cross street. Regardless of the frustrations, I have used this system for 3 1/2 years. Late for dinner several times. Humiliated driving guests to the theater once. We weren’t late, but ouch! Overall, I wish we didn’t have to settle for mediocre products. I now we can do better.
For instance: Spelling “know” correctly.
Google now has it right:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36+St+Nicholas+Ct,+O‘Fallon,+MO&sll=45.523875,-122.670399&sspn=0.633093,1.388397&g=Portland,+OR&ie=UTF8&ll=38.81103,-90.719854&spn=0.001375,0.002712&t=h&z=19&iwloc=addr
Hmmm. Didn’t like that URL, here is another try…
Google Maps
I just spent $225 (with tax and shipping) for the 2009 update because they version that came with my 2007 Dodge Ram did not have many areas that were less than 5 years old or so (we RV all around the country and have seen this a LOT). The new DVD STILL does NOT have those areas in the database. When calling the company,I get the typical company policy line that they can’t refund me once the product is opened. The Catch 22 is, of course, you don’t know it is deficient until you open and install it. I advise anyone to STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT. Keep your old disk. You’ll be spending as much as a new GPS system FOR NOTHING!!