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.