Google maps have just revamped ther site a bit.

[GarCor]

I see that Googlemaps.com have changed there format again with some nice improvements like a tool that when you get your route planned you can browse your route turn by turn as well as some other nice features.

For those of you that don't know here is a program that works with TomTom & Google maps.


http://houghi.org/tomtom/

( This site was down for a month or so but is back up now)

This program works something like Tyre but instead of using Google earth you use Google maps and you don't need to put in a bunch of waypoints.

With Houghi you go direct to Googlemaps.com put in your start and finish points zoom in start an finish points and move them a few feet. (Put them back if you like) Open the link folder in Google maps copy the link then open Houghi and past it in the blank box click Submit Query and it will create a TomTom itinerary file, save the file to your computer for future use or copy direct to your internal memory itn folder.

(With the Google maps interface if you want to change the route all you need to do is click on the route and drag it where you want.)

All the credit goes to Houghi for this program.
Many Thanks

 

[pianoCM]

When Google Maps still using NavTeq, I prefered using Tyre to generate .itn but since it switched to TeleAtlas, Houghi is probably a better way to do.
But I need to test a few .itn to be sure it does get better.

 

[pianoCM]

And btw, Tyre does use Google Maps (I use it all the time), not only Google Earth.

 

[Rick F.]

And btw, Tyre does use Google Maps (I use it all the time), not only Google Earth.

PianoCM is right. Tyre offers both Google maps and Google Earth as choices.
_________

AND, I'm glad to see Houghi back up but it's working very differently for me. At every turn it creates a waypoint. At first I thought this would be a good change because TomTom would be forced to take the exact route you lay out on Google maps. BUT, when I create a short test route and download it to my TT, my TT ends up taking extra turns. Not sure what's going on here. I guess I'll stick with Tyre.

 

[GarCor]

PianoCM is right. Tyre offers both Google maps and Google Earth as choices.
_________

AND, I'm glad to see Houghi back up but it's working very differently for me. At every turn it creates a waypoint. At first I thought this would be a good change because TomTom would be forced to take the exact route you lay out on Google maps. BUT, when I create a short test route and download it to my TT, my TT ends up taking extra turns. Not sure what's going on here. I guess I'll still with Tyre.

I had the same issue. What I found is that I had to disable IQ routing for my custom ITN.

The thing with Tyre and Google maps is that you cant click on the route and drag it. You need to build your route with waypoints.

Don't get me wrong I like Tyre as well but this is one improvement that they could make.

 

[Rick F.]

I had the same issue. What I found is that I had to disable IQ routing for my custom ITN

Hmm? Well my TT doesn't have IQ routes as I have a TT-3rd edition (with itinerary planning added). Don't know what the problem would be.

Good point on 'Tyre's inability to drag routes'. That is a nice feature of Google maps.

 

[Arno]

I see that Googlemaps.com have changed there format again with some nice improvements like a tool that when you get your route planned you can browse your route turn by turn as well as some other nice features.
For those of you that don't know here is a program that works with TomTom & Google maps.
http://houghi.org/tomtom/

I could never get that, as well as MapPoint, to work (used to get error codes).

I had not noticed this before in Google maps:

Privacy and sharing settings
Public - Shared with everyone. This map will be published in search results and user profiles.
Unlisted - Shared only with selected people who have this map's URL.

I found that my home address was listed as Public, meaning that anyone entering my name in Google would get my home address with a map to boot!

 

[pianoCM]

Honestly, I don't see any improvement with the latest google maps, the only noticeable and it's also a bad thing (to me) is the StreetView option. It had been removed from the icon on the top of the screen and replaced and put on top of the zoom tool.

 

[pianoCM]

PianoCM is right. Tyre offers both Google maps and Google Earth as choices.
_________

AND, I'm glad to see Houghi back up but it's working very differently for me. At every turn it creates a waypoint. At first I thought this would be a good change because TomTom would be forced to take the exact route you lay out on Google maps. BUT, when I create a short test route and download it to my TT, my TT ends up taking extra turns. Not sure what's going on here. I guess I'll stick with Tyre.

It takes extra turns but it eventually passes through those waypoints that created by Houghi, right?
If that's the case, I'm not surprise but if it skips ONE waypoint, then it's broken.

 

[pianoCM]

I did a quick test from Home to Work.
Good news (to me) is it's actually route via waypoints, so similar to what GoogleMaps plotted.
Bad news (to me) is for some reason, it missed the last turn to the final destination.
Weird.

 

[GarCor]

I did a quick test from Home to Work.
Good news (to me) is it's actually route via waypoints, so similar to what GoogleMaps plotted.
Bad news (to me) is for some reason, it missed the last turn to the final destination.
Weird.

I haven't actually driven a long rout that I used Google Maps to create but in the browse route on my TT unit it seems to make all the correct turns etc.

The one thing that I have noticed is that when you are using the Google interface to drag your route you need to recheck where you drop it. I find it is better to zoom it in so you can see that you are actually putting it in the correct lane etc. etc.

 

[pianoCM]

I just looked deep into the .itn file that generated by Houghi and found out that it ALWAYS missing the last turn to the destination.
I have tried more than 5 .itn from various location acrross the U.S. and all of them are missing the final turn.

Does anyone have the same issue???

 

[pianoCM]

I also have noticed that when dragging to force plotting the route you want (meanning creating a waypoint), that waypoint's coordinator is not shown in the Houghi .itn file.
The way Houghi .itn file layout now is: source address -> next turn -> next turn -> ....-> last turn to destination AND it stops right here. It will not have the destination coordinator.

 

[Arno]

I also have noticed that when dragging to force plotting the route you want (meanning creating a waypoint), that waypoint's coordinator is not shown in the Houghi .itn file.
The way Houghi .itn file layout now is: source address -> next turn -> next turn -> ....-> last turn to destination AND it stops right here. It will not have the destination coordinator.

As mentioned, any time I tried Houghi I got an error code.

Why don't you add an additional point 10 feet or yards past your real end point and see if it now stops at the point you want it to do.

 

[pianoCM]

I did that Arno but as said above, waypoint that we created, has no effect at all.
And btw, I don't have any problem of generating .itn file.
What "error code" you have?