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TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

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Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#311

Post by drtz »

tekchip wrote: post #306

OSM and OsmAnd seem great except when you want to search for something. If I search for "mcdonalds" typed lazily I get 5 results hundreds of miles away. To find the local Mcdonalds restaurant I have to type "McDonald's" very specifically. This lack of fuzzy search makes these apps unusable. Its an unfortunate situation of the two parties involved in this software each pointing at each other and blaming the other with…

Someone should build a good, open, web API-based search for OSM data. Not everyone cares about 100% offline capabilities, and improving search would be a massive gain in usability for OsmAnd and other OSM clients.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#312

Post by JacobThreeThree »

drtz wrote: post #311
tekchip wrote: post #306

OSM and OsmAnd seem great except when you want to search for something. If I search for "mcdonalds" typed lazily I get 5 results hundreds of miles away. To find the local Mcdonalds restaurant I have to type "McDonald's" very specifically. This lack of fuzzy search makes these apps unusable. Its an unfortunate situation of the two parties involved in this software each pointing at each other and blaming the other with…

Someone should build a good, open, web API-based search for OSM data. Not everyone cares about 100% offline capabilities, and improving search would be a massive gain in usability for OsmAnd and other OSM clients.

I don't see why Lucene couldn't be used for this application.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#313

Post by fy20 »

club_tropical wrote: post #302

Curious, does anybody navigate without GPS? Why do you do it? I occasionally challenge myself, and I am always surprised how much more active my mind is, compared to GPS where my mind is passively glancing at the screen every few seconds to see if I'm on course and next turn.

I have a pretty good navigational memory, so if I've driven the journey once I can usually remember the way again. The advantage of apps like Google Maps and Waze is they provide real time traffic data, so can reroute you if there is congestion. It's not perfect, but I use it for driving to and from work now and it has helped me avoid a lot of congestion.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#314

Post by CivBase »

tekchip wrote: post #306

OSM and OsmAnd seem great except when you want to search for something. If I search for "mcdonalds" typed lazily I get 5 results hundreds of miles away. To find the local Mcdonalds restaurant I have to type "McDonald's" very specifically. This lack of fuzzy search makes these apps unusable. Its an unfortunate situation of the two parties involved in this software each pointing at each other and blaming the other with…

Yeah I tried switching to OsmAnd for a while. It works fine as a map. Interface is a little clunky. The real problem is I mostly use Google Maps to search for places and OsmAnd was terrible for that. I reluctantly switched back to Google Maps, but I look forward to the day I can drop it for an OSM-based solution.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#315

Post by mminer237 »

lostlogin wrote: post #297
mminer237 wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only Apple devices

Per the other comment here, Duckduckgo uses Apple data. https://venturebeat.com/business/duckduckgo-ducks-google-to-...

Oh, that's neat. It doesn't seem to have turn-by-turn navigation though. The most it can do is list the steps on the website.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#316

Post by baggachipz »

fs111 wrote: post #10

I 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…

Yeah but they changed their logo!

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#317

Post by neutronicus »

gambiting wrote: post #88
astrange wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple Maps has the feature you just described, and their maps either are TomTom or are better than TomTom.

I don't know, here in UK they just seem to be barren, with major roads still missing, they don't know about "no right/left turn" signs in places, they don't know about one-way streets......it's not a good system. I don't know how it can be using TomTom's data if TomTom doesn't have any of the same issues.

There's definitely a passable road in my neighborhood of Baltimore that Apple Maps doesn't know about, and always tries to route us around until we turn onto it.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#318

Post by AndroidKitKat »

throwaway744678 wrote: post #152
gambiting wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it? I have never seen it do it. Maybe it's only region-specific?

I believe it does when you set your home and work addresses

It learns other patterns, too (which is kinda creepy). On Thursdays, I like to swing past a local taco shop on my way home after work and when I plug my phone into CarPlay, it prompts me navigation to the taco shop; it doesn't do this on any other day.

Kinda a neat feature, but it makes you wonder what else it is learning.

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#319

Post by max51 »

gehsty wrote: post #246
drsopp wrote: post #129

I will never forgive TomTom's bait and switch: I bought a lifetime subscription of their app for my iPhone for about $50. After a few years they stopped the service claiming that "lifetime" meant the lifetime of the device.

Out of interest how long did you expect them to support a lifetime subscription for?

For as long as the service exists, that's the entire point of a lifetime subscription. Companies need to stop lying about their software services. Don't call it "unlimited" if it's not unlimited or "lifetime" if they pre-programmed it to cut you off after a couple of years

Re: TomTom’s new mapping platform and ecosystem

#320

Post by beders »

Apple maps finally good? ;)

To be fair, it has become much better and AFAIK it uses TomTom data.

This announcement is a master class of marketing blurp with nuggets like "accelerated innovation" and low on actual content.

Seems like they are on early access with important-enough customers.

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