Dave Hall
Registered user
Just come back from a short break with the wife near Alicante...cant believe how crap the mapping is for that area.
Mapsource Southern Spain
- Thread starter Dave Hall
- Start date
Howard Millichap
Registered user
Always has been, always will be until the Spanish give their mapping details to NavTech/Garmin.
I understand even V6 mapping is still crap in the outback areas.
I understand even V6 mapping is still crap in the outback areas.
PanEuropean
Registered user
Perhaps a better way to put it would be to say that the mapping detail will be incomplete until the national topographic authority for the country concerned gets around to digitizing their map detail in vector (not raster) format.
NavTech does not go out and collect vector map data. What they will do is collect additional attribute information (speed limits, lane widths, details from overhead signs, number of stopsigns or traffic lights per mile, etc.) and add that to the vector data that is published by the government concerned.
Most Western European countries have now organized all their map data in vector format, and they are more than happy to sell this information to companies such as NavTech, eTak, and others for quite high prices. This helps explain why a European CityNavigator CD costs about USD $600 as a stand-alone purchase (over a dozen governments had to be paid royalites by NavTech), whereas a North American CityNavigator CD is only about $250 as a stand-alone purchase (the US vector data is considered 'public domain information', therefore royalty free, and the Canadian data is minimal).
However, some countries - Spain and Portugal being examples - have not assigned a high priority to producing vector map data for all regions of the country. This is somewhat understandable - there's not much of an economic imperative (other than tourism) for doing so. I'm going to South Africa later today, last week I installed CitySelect for South Africa, and the coverage was similar to Spain - big urban areas such as Jo'burg and Pretoria, Capetown and Durban are covered, but the entire northwest quadrant of the country doesn't even have map segments available to select, let alone any roads shown. So, it really depends on what the national government's priorities (and resources) are like.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, you have countries like Switzerland, where every footpath and cow-path (honestly, no exaggeration on my part) had been vector-mapped, and we actually have a problem with screen clutter on the GPSR's at high zoom levels.
Lastly, a reminder to all - Garmin does not collect, assemble, or edit map data! They are a hardware and software company. Garmin buys all their map data from other companies, such as NavTech, and all Garmin does is compile (store) it on the CD in a manner that the Garmin GPSR's can read it and use it. It's a bit like a grocery store - if you get a tough steak, you tend to blame the butcher, but the truth is, it was the cattle rancher's fault.
PanEuropean
NavTech does not go out and collect vector map data. What they will do is collect additional attribute information (speed limits, lane widths, details from overhead signs, number of stopsigns or traffic lights per mile, etc.) and add that to the vector data that is published by the government concerned.
Most Western European countries have now organized all their map data in vector format, and they are more than happy to sell this information to companies such as NavTech, eTak, and others for quite high prices. This helps explain why a European CityNavigator CD costs about USD $600 as a stand-alone purchase (over a dozen governments had to be paid royalites by NavTech), whereas a North American CityNavigator CD is only about $250 as a stand-alone purchase (the US vector data is considered 'public domain information', therefore royalty free, and the Canadian data is minimal).
However, some countries - Spain and Portugal being examples - have not assigned a high priority to producing vector map data for all regions of the country. This is somewhat understandable - there's not much of an economic imperative (other than tourism) for doing so. I'm going to South Africa later today, last week I installed CitySelect for South Africa, and the coverage was similar to Spain - big urban areas such as Jo'burg and Pretoria, Capetown and Durban are covered, but the entire northwest quadrant of the country doesn't even have map segments available to select, let alone any roads shown. So, it really depends on what the national government's priorities (and resources) are like.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, you have countries like Switzerland, where every footpath and cow-path (honestly, no exaggeration on my part) had been vector-mapped, and we actually have a problem with screen clutter on the GPSR's at high zoom levels.
Lastly, a reminder to all - Garmin does not collect, assemble, or edit map data! They are a hardware and software company. Garmin buys all their map data from other companies, such as NavTech, and all Garmin does is compile (store) it on the CD in a manner that the Garmin GPSR's can read it and use it. It's a bit like a grocery store - if you get a tough steak, you tend to blame the butcher, but the truth is, it was the cattle rancher's fault.
PanEuropean
Dave Hall
Registered user
PanEuropean said:
Top comprehensive answer Pan but that part of Spain is nearly 100% tourism. I suppose its the Mediteranean `Manana` mentality.
Similar threads
- Locked
