Tele Atlas 6.65 vs. NavTeq 8.x - Yikes!
I've been running a new TT1 and a Garmin 250 in parallel the last 4 days. The Garmin is running version 8.x NavTeq maps that came out around the middle of 2006. The latest Tele Atlas maps are on the TT1.
I had been confounded by the anomalies that I discovered with my new TT1. I borrowed a Garmin and ran over the same routes that were giving me problems. In every case where the TT1 gave screwy instructions, the Garmin got it right.
I've driven about 650 miles throughout Oregon and Washington this week. Most of the routes were on well established major roads and in larger cities. I was amazed how often the similarly set up units diverged. Throughout the trip, the Garmin consistently picked the appropriate routes, whereas the Tele Atlas map indicated phantom roads or road variations that often produced ridiculous paths or unexpected turns from the obvious direction I needed to go. There was nothing "Shortest" or "Fastest" about the decisions the TT1 was making. Every time the TT1 took me off the obvious route, it eventually sent me back where I belonged. The TomTom hardware appears to be doing its thing just fine. The accuracy of the maps and whatever logic is being applied to them seems to be the culprit.
Let me just mention that I have no predisposition to NavTeq. That's why I didn't give much thought to the map provider when I bought my TT1. However, on the basis of this very unscientific test, I'm in serious doubt that I made the right decision. Has anyone else had an opportunity to run a similar side-by-side test between Tele Atlas and NavTeq maps?
I've been running a new TT1 and a Garmin 250 in parallel the last 4 days. The Garmin is running version 8.x NavTeq maps that came out around the middle of 2006. The latest Tele Atlas maps are on the TT1.
I had been confounded by the anomalies that I discovered with my new TT1. I borrowed a Garmin and ran over the same routes that were giving me problems. In every case where the TT1 gave screwy instructions, the Garmin got it right.
I've driven about 650 miles throughout Oregon and Washington this week. Most of the routes were on well established major roads and in larger cities. I was amazed how often the similarly set up units diverged. Throughout the trip, the Garmin consistently picked the appropriate routes, whereas the Tele Atlas map indicated phantom roads or road variations that often produced ridiculous paths or unexpected turns from the obvious direction I needed to go. There was nothing "Shortest" or "Fastest" about the decisions the TT1 was making. Every time the TT1 took me off the obvious route, it eventually sent me back where I belonged. The TomTom hardware appears to be doing its thing just fine. The accuracy of the maps and whatever logic is being applied to them seems to be the culprit.
Let me just mention that I have no predisposition to NavTeq. That's why I didn't give much thought to the map provider when I bought my TT1. However, on the basis of this very unscientific test, I'm in serious doubt that I made the right decision. Has anyone else had an opportunity to run a similar side-by-side test between Tele Atlas and NavTeq maps?
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