Seamless Map Navigation

[Herko ter Horst]

@Joe-Rebele MRA Navigation uses Here maps, not OpenStreetMap. I think support for multiple maps (for navigation, not layers) is unlikely.

[Jack van Tilburg]

@Joe-Rebele said in Seamless Map Navigation:

I'm not sure what the purpose of different maps would be if they can't all be used on Navigation Next.

I myself use the TomTom map because I use the TomTom-based Connected App on my BMW, for example.
My buddy I ride with the most uses a Garmin Nav.
And on my HD I use MRA Navigation.
When planning a route I use the <Compare> function. This allows me to see the (im)possibilities of OSM, TomTom and Here (Garmin).
If you ensure that all lines follow the same route during the planning, you will very rarely encounter unexpected moments in practice.
I think it's a great addition that there are several maps available to plan a route.

[Drabslab]

@Joe-Rebele said in Seamless Map Navigation:

I'm not sure what the purpose of different maps would be if they can't all be used on Navigation Next.

Those different maps are magnificent during the route planning phase.

For instance,

• you use Michelin for finding the most scenic routes,
• comparing routes in Here or Tomtom allows making sure that people driving * together with different GPS systems all get the same route on screen
• etc...

For NEXT, the choice was made to use HERE.

Just like any other GPS device, NEXT will work with most probably only one map provider and I can't think right now how this would be a limitation for the user?

A well built route will work no matter how many different maps you have consulted durign the planning phase.

[Herko ter Horst]

@Drabslab I think the "issue" is mostly with the maps used for navigation/route calculation (TomTom, HERE, OSM), and not so much the overlay maps, like Michelin. Those don't cause any issues when driving a route on MRA Navigation.

I can see where this request is coming from: it is somewhat counterintuitive that MRA Navigation does not provide navigation of a route on the same maps that MRA Routeplanner supports to calculate the route. You have to be aware that MRA Navigation (including Next) only supports navigation using HERE maps, meaning that during planning, it is advisable to use that as well (or at the very least compare it). Maps from different providers will have subtle (or in rare occassions: major) differences.

[Con Hennekens]

@Joe-Rebele, For use with the Navigation app (the current one as well as the Next one), you need to use Here map. The TomTom map is there for people using TomTom device, the OSM map is there because... it's free... and probably because some other apps use those.

I would NOT like to see all those maps available in Navigation, since there is no purpose for it. Next users need only the best map. Other maps are only there for compatibility with other devices. They are there for planning purposes, not for navigation purposes. Just use the Here map for planning, and the compare function if you want to make your route equal for other users.

[Herko ter Horst]

@Con-Hennekens said in Seamless Map Navigation:

I would NOT like to see all those maps available in Navigation, since there is no purpose for it. Next users need only the best map. Other maps are only there for compatibility with other devices. They are there for planning purposes, not for navigation purposes. Just use the Here map for planning, and the compare function if you want to make your route equal for other users.

Is HERE the best map? In all situations? I don't think so. For example, (not) routing across ferries is a major weakness of the HERE map/routing algorithm. In addition, the free OSM map can be better in certain places in the world, as it can be maintained by local people, which can result in much better map data in places where the commercial map providers don't have great coverage.

And the other maps not being for navigation purposes is pure nonsense. Plenty of people navigate using TomTom or OSM. You say so yourself: "for compatibility with other devices". The entire world doesn't and isn't going to use MRA Navigation (Next).

Note: I fully expect MRA Navigation Next to only ever provide the HERE map for navigation, because supporting 3 different maps is a lot more work (not to mention it being more expensive in terms of licensing). However, it would still be nice to have it, so you can use your favourite map/routing algorithm and/or the 'best' map for a specific trip.

[Con Hennekens]

@Herko-ter-Horst, Yes Herko, I can see it could be of use to some, but in the whole it would bring an enormous layer of extra complexity that wil not be of use for the community as a whole. And of course your remark on the ferries is very valid.

The "other maps not being for navigation purposes" was meant in the context of the MRA planner. For those maps the dedicated GPS devices are the ones navigating, not any MRA product.

[Steve Lynch]

@Herko-ter-Horst
I wouldn't consider it a "major" weakness not routing across ferries, unless you intend to sit with your phone in you hand watching your progress across the ocean.
If it's a long trip you'll find me at the bar and then off to bed, if its a short hop you find me on deck getting some fresh air.

[Herko ter Horst]

@Steve-Lynch I was actually talking about the problem HERE has with planning a route that includes ferry crossings (not necessarily the large, scheduled ones across the English Channel, but the smaller ones to cross rivers etc.) It's just a very annoying sub-optimal "feature" of the HERE maps I used as an example for why just having HERE might not always be the best.

Edit: just tried to reproduce the issue, so I could show you an example and I couldn't anymore, so maybe this has been fixed recently. Previously, it would have the issue that even if you placed route points on both sides of the ferry crossing (i.e. both sides of the river, maybe 50-100 meters apart), HERE would still try to route you around to avoid it, even though using the the nearest bridge would add dozens of miles to the trip, it would just refuse to use the ferry crossing.

But my point was more generic than that: MRA Routeplanner gives us 3 separate maps, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and peculiarities. MRA Navigation only has the one, which might not always be the best/most suited for a particular trip.

[Steve Lynch]

@Herko-ter-Horst
I was a big time fanboy of the Tom Tom 550 for a long time, (Ivé still got it) but due to my ageing eyes I was seduced by the Garmin XT's big screen.