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British Village Requests Removal From GPS Maps
posted by Satri
on Wednesday December 05, @11:03AM
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from the about-using-eyes-and-brain dept.
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from the about-using-eyes-and-brain dept.
Slashdot discuss a story about the problems generated by in-car GPS satellite navigation systems in some places. Their summary: "The tiny village of Barrow Gurney, England, has asked GPS map publisher Tele Atlas to remove them from the company's maps. The reason: truck drivers using GPS navigation devices are being directed to drive through the town despite the roads being too narrow for sidewalks, which has led to numerous accidents. At the root of the problem lies the fact that the navigation maps used by trucks are the same as those used by passenger cars, and they don't contain data on road width or no-truck zones. Tele Atlas says they will release truck-appropriate databases at some point, but until then they advise local governments to make use of a technology dating back to the Romans: road signs." See below for two previous stories including whether NavSystems are good for drivers and when they are driving people of cliffs.
Related Stories
Reliable Directions and Data Sources 1 comment
[+]
dct writes "NPR runs this story on inaccuracies (though they are apparently few) of major web mapping sites when giving direction because they depend on a single data provider. From the article: "A test of two other main map services besides MapQuest, Yahoo and Google, shows that all of them try to send drivers up the stairs. Since they all rely on the same road database company, NAVTEQ, for their road databases, the problem is duplicated on all the map sites.""
In-Car Navigation Systems Too Distracting? 1 comment
[+]
Slashdot host a discussion about the distractiveness of in-car navigation systems. The slashdot summary: "A survey released by an insurance company shows that drivers with in-car navigation systems are more likely to lose concentration than drivers who unfold a map while driving. From the article: 'One in 10 motorists with navigation systems set off on their journeys without bothering to program their route, and more than half admitted that they then had to take their eyes off the road to input the details while driving. Nearly one in eight did not even bother to check out a route they were unfamiliar with and simply relied on the technology to get them to their destination.'" Additionally, VerySpatial tells us GPS and Driving also doesn't mix very well.
Satellite Navigation Sends Drivers Over Cliff
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redgeographics writes "According to this BBC article, drivers following satellite navigation systems through a village called Crackpot in North Yorkshire have been directed along a track at the edge of a 100ft cliff. The article mentions that one company supplying data for these navigation systems has already removed the offending road." This story is discussed by Slashdot. See also previously covered related stories below about other dangers of in-car navigation.
Taxi Drivers Better Not to Use GPS
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All Points Blog links to a CNET article claiming London taxi drivers are better without the use of GPS in order to pass the "The Knowledge", the world's toughest taxi exam. From the article: ""Regardless of the salesmen's hype about these machines they cannot match the knowledge and experience of a good cabbie," Oddy said. [...] Scientists found London taxi drivers have a larger hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with navigation, than other people."
GPS Satellite Navigation System is Good for Drivers 1 comment
[+]
All Points Blog links to a press release about a survey indicating GPS satellite navigation systems are good for drivers. From the PR: "Key findings:
* The use of a satellite navigation device improves the driver's behavior
when driving through an unknown area to an unknown destination;
* The use of a satellite navigation system heightens alertness and reduces
the stress levels of the driver;
* Drivers who do NOT have the use of a satellite navigation solution have
12% more damage claims to their vehicles;
* The use of a TomTom satellite navigation solution reduces the amount of
miles driven by 16%;
* The use of a TomTom satellite navigation solution reduces travel time
when driving through an unknown area to an unknown destination by 18%;
* The use of a TomTom satellite navigation solution reduces the workload
(the amount of effort it takes the driver to drive) of the driver when
traveling through an unknown area to an unknown destination." The study was done in The Netherlands and you can of course challenge the study's neutrality since it was mandated by the industry.
British Village Requests Removal From GPS Maps
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