GPS software/maps severely lacking!!

[nategesner]

I did some research and decided to purchase a BT GPS and PocketNavigator for my Axim X50v. It works well, but I can't believe how terrible the maps are. I have a Garmin GPS with city map data for the US, so that's what I'm comparing it to.

For example, I wanted to find a point of interest within the city of Las Vegas just to see how robust the database was. So I asked it to look up "Religious Centers", since Las Vegas probably has more per capita than any other major city. It found only one church! One church in a city of 1.5 Million people?!?

I look up the theater near my house that's been established for over a decade, and it doesn't show. Neither does the major casino right across the street from it. Or the restaurants, the gas station, etc. Now I know they can't show everything, but this isn't even close to 1/10th what is out there. What's the point in listing all the Burger King's but not the Outback Steakhouse?

I can see I won't be using this $200 contraption for anything other than navigating to an address or coordinates.

[altermind]

I'm using microsoft streets ... I'm in vancouver canada... has pretty much everything in it.. I type in a little unknown coffie bar.. it find it no worries...

try that :)

[ADBrown]

Maybe it's a problem of definition. Las Vegas may have lots of churches, but I'm not sure how many of them would qualify as "Religious centers". :twisted:

Seriously, though, I've had good experiences with TomTom's POI database.

[nategesner]

What else would a church be categorized as? The one church that shows up is no different than other churches, other than the fact that it is big. But I have a mega-church less than one mile from my house that has about 10,000 members and it doesn't show up.

But that's just one example. Prominent restaurants (Outback, Chile's, Olive Garden, Joe's Crab Shack) don't show up, but the Burger King right next to them does. I guess I just had high expectations for this software. After all, all this information is available for free on Yahoo, so it seems like it wouldn't be hard to get ahold of that same POI database and load it onto their maps.

Maybe I'm just too naive...

[Sven Johannsen]

It's free to you on Yahoo, it's not free to them. They draw you to Yahoo or MSN maps by providing it free. That allows them to sell advertising because they can show a tremendous hit rate. That advertising revenue pays for the maps and POI DBs.

I imagine the data from the map providers is remarkably expensive. Several of the PPC map companies have eluded to that, though I expect they are under obligation not to reveal exactly how much. Even Microsoft, until recently, did not provide real time GPS position updates (was 15 secs) due to licensing costs with their data provider. That is because the license is based on data use. If you are using the data to look up locations, it is a different license than if you are using it to navigate. 15 secs position update was deemed not navigational, and Streets and Trips price was kept down.

If you are someone as big as DeLorme, or MS or Garmin or Magellan, I expect the licensing can be spread over significantly more sold copies than if you are Mapopolis or even TomTom. To keep the cost down, cutting back on POIs (licensing) may be done simply to provide a product at a reasonable price.

It would not surprise me if inclusion in a map database doesn't come at a fee from the business too. Some restaurants may benefit more from being accessible in this manner. If I'm driving through a strange town, I may be more likely to want to know what exit the Burger King is on, than if there is an Outback or Olive Garden. Given that. BK may have more incentive to get on the list.

What kind of Garmin do you have BTW? Is it one of the high end ones that does routing and all, or a simple handheld that can upload map files.

[frankenbike]

Not to mention that POIs take up memory space, so fewer POIs mean more map can be fit into the same amount of memory.

[Gareth Lock]

Have you tried this site?

http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums

I use them for my TT3 and 2210, great POI listings

Gareth
www.imagesoflife.co.uk

[nategesner]

Looks like it has potential, but only for TomTom users. I have PocketNavigator.

I've found another solution. I'll be putting my equipment and software up for sale and just sticking with my Garmin GPS for another year or two. Puts cash in my pocket and I don't have to spend endless hours trying to get my PPC to do something it won't. :)

[ADBrown]

What else would a church be categorized as?

I was just joking about the religious bona fides of most of the Vegas churches.

[CEGiven]

Micrsoft Streets & Trips 2005 can be found for about $25 (Wal-Mart, Sam's, etc.) and it includes Pocket Streets. It has a good POI database and has basic GPS support. I use it for geocaching primarily, since I also have the more expensive iGuidance which ironically does NOT have religious locations or movie theatres. This is due to their POI database being provided by NAVtech, and they don't track these 8O

[Cybrid]

Micrsoft Streets & Trips 2005 can be found for about $25 (Wal-Mart, Sam's, etc.) and it includes Pocket Streets. It has a good POI database and has basic GPS support. I use it for geocaching primarily, since I also have the more expensive iGuidance which ironically does NOT have religious locations or movie theatres. This is due to their POI database being provided by NAVtech, and they don't track these 8O
lol. Check the bos of MS S&T 2005 (also Navteq). At a guess, iGuidance got a more limited POI from them for lesser licensing....