Navteq vs TeleAtlas
January 16th, 2010 nk
Recently we compared the latest US maps by Navteq and TeleAtlas. Both maps were 3rd Quarter 2009.
Both maps had newly introduced bugs. Navteq’s was annoying to use with a Text To Speech (TTS) GPS. Apparently Navteq writes the names of highways twice: US95 (US 95). The result with a TTS system is that is says the name twice. Very annoying, though not really interfering with functionality.
For some reason Navteq still hasn’t updated some street names and refers to streets that have been renamed years ago by their old names.
On the positive side there is even more lane information then was in the earlier version. The maps are generally accurate and usable.
Now to TeleAtlas: The new maps introduced a serious bug: there are many streets that lost their names and now are “Unnamed”. This creates some potentially serious problems. For example: while driving on a highway in the southern direction the map showed us on the correct highway. On the way back we discovered that the northbound lane is “Unnamed”. As a result, before we had to enter the highway the GPS told us to “keep right” on the street we were driving on instead of saying “turn right”. Having many unnamed streets also influences the ability to find an address. If the one you are looking for is on the side of the street that suddenly became “Unnamed” you’ll never find it.
On the positive side TeleAtlas added more lane information which is useful.
We hope that both Navteq and TeleAtlas will correct the errors. Until then we will live with the annoyances of Navteq. TeleAtla’s map is potentially dangerous and somewhat useless, especially if you are driving in a place you are not familiar with. Isn’t the whole purpose of GPS navigation to bring you safely where you are going?
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