[gps-talkusers] why not buy maps directly from TeleAtlas?

Hello everyone,

This has been asked and answered here a number of times but I will try to explain it again.
Yes we use TeleAtlas maps, but TeleAtlas has maps in GDF format, this is NOT the format we use on the BrailleNote. We use RMF which is a highly compressed map format from Telcontar. By going to this highly compressed format we gain a number of benefits. 1. Size is reduced. 2. Speed to access the map data is incredibly fast. 3. We also get the Telcontar's Routing library which creates the routes you all use.
Even if you were to find some other company which would license you maps in RMF format the city / street lookup is specific to our Sendero GPS product. So you wouldn't be able to do any address lookups without our maps. Sendero spent a lot of work fixing a city address map bug from TeleAtlas just before we released our product. There were hundreds of cities which were duplicate because the TeleAtlas miss labeled area's within Cities as real cities. So an area inside of San Jose California named "Burbank" the software thought you were really in "Burbank" California which is about 300 miles south of San Jose. So even big map companies like TeleAtlas make mistakes and Sendero was able to fix this for you all before we released 3.5. I really hope you all appreciate just how much work it takes to releasing a product like this, and we care about getting you all the best possible data as quickly as possible.

I hope this explains why we went with the Telcontar's RMF format. Oh and by the way, Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, all use maps in Telcontar's RMF format, so they too have to wait for TeleAtlas to release their maps and then wait for Telcontar to release the updated filter to convert the GDF map into RMF and then they can put it up on their website. But Google and Yahoo are so big and can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on updating maps, they don't just use TeleAtlas maps alone, they also use Navtech and maybe others all of which are converted first into Telcontars Richmap engine. This is why their accuracy seems better because they can make a highbred of the best maps available. If TeleAtlas has better map coverage in Texas they use TeleAtlas in Texax, if Navtech has better coverage in Alabama they use Navtech maps there. I think you get the point.

Thank you
Charles LaPierre
CTO SenderoGroup


At 02:03 AM 4/22/2006, you wrote:
hi list thanks mike concerning the maps so, could i go on the tele atlas website and purchase maps which are the most up to date from them and be able to use them o.k.
i also use the wayfinder program and as you know the maps are used from the internet meading they are the most up to date.
i asume tele atlas would charge lots more for you to use the licence for the most up to date maps making braille note gps very expensive. thanks.


Charles M. La Pierre CTO
Sendero Group, LLC

Lat. 37 15' 25" N  Lon: 121 53' 04" W



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