Maps should be a common, like any other infrastructure-like software or data.
It's a model that will play off in the long term IMHO.
TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
231–240 of 477 posts
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#232Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree that GMaps still reigns supreme, but Apple Maps is now definitely better in some regards, including the actual maps and transit directions for my city. Probably due to all the OSM data they include, in fairness.
Is Apple Maps cross platform or only exclusive to Apple devices?
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Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#233I don't understand the 'everything was better when it wasn't google' mentality that is so often found in these threads. My dad used to work at TomTom right here in the Netherlands. They used to be a fun and innovative company to work for. When it became apparent they entered a multibillion dollar business it was all about the money. As someone who used TomTom before other options became available I can honestly say t…
Google maps is fantastic. It beats literally everything else I can think of. But that’s scary. I want a competitor that offers at least roughly similar quality, but Google is so far ahead that it’s no contest.
Is it? I've used openstreetmap exclusively for the past 5 years and it's almost never let me down, for both day to day and trips abroad.
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#234Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Tom Tom used to charge for map updates, which became a no-go for many. This is what led to their demise, no?
I would say so (that and the smartphone as ppl points out) - they announced subscription service around 2009-2011 from what I can see online and we can see the interest falling drastically since: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=tomtom .. that's also when I stopped using them I think, and what's interesting is that once you get into the habit of using a new map+navigation service it seems quite har…
> once you get into the habit of using a new map+navigation service it seems quite hard to switch or is that just me?
I don't think it's just you. :) I know a fair number of iOS users who switched to the standalone Google Maps app during the, shall we say, rocky first year of Apple Maps, and who I've never been able to convince to look back -- and these are people who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Apple Maps is arguably at its best.
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#235I worked at Tele Atlas/TomTom until 10 years ago. There is literally nothing new in this announcement except that they are going to "steal" data from OSM now. sensor derived data, user generated content, camera vans all of that is not new. All this existed when I left, so did the people mentioned in this announcement that are still running the show. I always hoped they would eventually realize that they need a fresh…
How is it stealing data? Most geospatial companies use OSM data, with OSM's permission, and it's a smart thing to do b/c they have a great map. Why wouldn't a mapmaker work with OSM data?
except google. They copied OSM data in the past, and used in their proprietary offering that includes reselling the data. A blatant offense of the OSM license.
They were caught red handed in 2018 i think, and blamed on some contractors. But most interesting, despite this being a widely know fact for the mapping community, i can't find any mention of it anywhere today.
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#236I don't understand the 'everything was better when it wasn't google' mentality that is so often found in these threads. My dad used to work at TomTom right here in the Netherlands. They used to be a fun and innovative company to work for. When it became apparent they entered a multibillion dollar business it was all about the money. As someone who used TomTom before other options became available I can honestly say t…
Google maps is fantastic. It beats literally everything else I can think of. But that’s scary. I want a competitor that offers at least roughly similar quality, but Google is so far ahead that it’s no contest.
Google Maps has been a really garbage experience for me lately, so much so that I've been actively looking for alternatives. Sadly, there aren't many.
Some of problems I've had with Google Maps recently:
- Routing gives me weird bypasses that aren't necessary and often actually add time to the trip. I've started to not trust the routing.
- The UX when searching for places is extremely difficult to navigate, especially when trying to use map view instead of list view
- planning a route _without_ asking for directions is near impossible because many street and landmark names are not displayed
- Landmarks are drowned out by the overwhelming clutter of business names (paid ads)
- Maps are sometimes wrong in my area and I have no idea how to get them fixed.
I've started using OsmAnd for most of my mapping needs lately, and it's better in almost every way _as a map_. The only major thing it's lacking for me is traffic-aware navigation.
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#237Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google maps is fantastic. It beats literally everything else I can think of. But that’s scary. I want a competitor that offers at least roughly similar quality, but Google is so far ahead that it’s no contest.
> Google maps is fantastic. It beats literally everything else I can think of. At least for walking and cycling, OSM has data leagues better than Gmaps. Also for driving actually, but navigation is indeed not as good. Lack of traffic info...
Yeah I use other apps for everything but driving, but until I move to a country where I can get rid of my car I just can't quit Google Maps.
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#238Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a modern car with a built-in satnav as well as Android Auto support, and yet I still use my TomTom 5000 - it's just better. Definitely better than crappy Google Maps, definitely better than volvo's built-in maps, and it's without any kind of comparison how much better it is than Apple Maps. You get in the car, it auto-selects the destination based on the patterns it learnt(so if you get in at 7am on a workday,…
The auto-nav feature is very nice. However others do this, Apple Maps, at least, will suggest a destination based on behavioural patterns. Tesla also have a "simple" version of this, if you are at home, it will automatically to go to work in the "morning", and in the afternoon it will automatically go "home" if you are at the office. But this seems to be location/time based, and not behavioural.
> Tesla also have a "simple" version of this, if you are at home, it will automatically to go to work in the "morning", and in the afternoon it will automatically go "home" if you are at the office.
Yes, and this feature drove me crazy until I figured out how to turn it off. The two places I know how to get to are to work every morning, and home from work every afternoon! It's the _other_ places that need navigation.
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#239I worked at Tele Atlas/TomTom until 10 years ago. There is literally nothing new in this announcement except that they are going to "steal" data from OSM now. sensor derived data, user generated content, camera vans all of that is not new. All this existed when I left, so did the people mentioned in this announcement that are still running the show. I always hoped they would eventually realize that they need a fresh…
How is it stealing data? Most geospatial companies use OSM data, with OSM's permission, and it's a smart thing to do b/c they have a great map. Why wouldn't a mapmaker work with OSM data?
I don’t know what OP meant by “steal” but the complicated thing with using OSM data as a mapmaker is that if you “derive” any other data source with it you have to make it available which means (as I understand it) you have to contribute it back to OSM.
If TomTom was planning on conflating OSM data with other sources then in theory it hurts their business model because they will potentially have to make their entire map (or large parts of it) freely available in OSM.
If they can somehow set up clean room conditions and keep all their other data sources physically separated from the OSM data then it might be avoided, but then how do you do the map conflation? And that would certainly impact how quickly they can make updates.
Maybe they came up with some clever way to avoid having to contribute data back to OSM and that’s what OP means by “steal.”
Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem
#240Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree that GMaps still reigns supreme, but Apple Maps is now definitely better in some regards, including the actual maps and transit directions for my city. Probably due to all the OSM data they include, in fairness.
Apples Maps just is not very available globally. It is heavily U.S. oriented, while Google seems to offer similar features everywhere. Maybe some day Apple catches a bit.
Also, not everyone has and Apple device, so it's not really a competitor to Google which is available on almost any device apart from sanctioned Chinese ones and any web browser.