Bye-bye to bad trips!

Trade

Check: passport, tickets, traveller cheques – and, of course, the trusty sat nav system! For holiday driving, a satellite navigation system is the only way to travel if you want to arrive cool, calm, collected … and at the right destination!
Being cooped up in the car for hours with the whole family can be more than a little challenging and ideally you want the journey to be as smooth as possible. Satellite navigation has been around long enough for most of us to know that the step by step directions – including which way to turn at every junction and roundabout until finally announcing you have reached your destination – are a great way to avoid missed motorway exits, three point turns, wasted time and very often, arguments with the passenger who is navigating from an atlas!
During the journey most systems continually update the distance to the destination and how long it will take – providing a definitive answer to that nagging question: ‘Are we there yet?’ But they also offer other useful information. Points of Interest, as they are known, include details about a landmarks such as hotels, petrol stations, restaurants and tourist attractions.
Most of the time navigation systems guide people happily to their destinations, and diversions from this norm usually stem from a small number of causes.
It is important to keep the mapping software up to date. Users have been slow to appreciate the importance of updating, since research shows that 9 out of 10 drivers are using old data in their navigation systems. Updates provide latest information on road systems, one way streets and speed limits, to name just a few criteria.
Map data is available in different forms depending on the type of navigation system. The traditional factory installed models use CDs or DVDs with updates available from a car dealership or even the map manufacturer. Portable systems can be updated with data cards or sometimes by downloading direct from the web.
The website of mapping firm Navteq offers updates for over 40 software systems. The service currently focuses on fixed in-car systems, but will eventually include portable navigation.
Frequency of updates also varies and, although map manufacturer may release new versions every three months, the system or car manufacturer may only offer them once a year. When buying a new system, always check the age of the map data and when the next update is due. Some manufacturers offer free updates if one is due soon after the system is purchased.
Navigation technology is very complex. Many different systems use the same mapping, yet often offer different routes to a given destination. This is because each system has its own software program, and different software interprets the map and calculates the routes in different ways. While map manufacturers try to keep the maps as up to date as possible, road networks change constantly. Navteq, for example, has over 600 geographic analysts driving the roads every day to collect data for its maps. However, the firm welcomes feedback from the public on anything they spot. Navteq’s Map Reporter page is at www.navteq.com. So whether you already have a system or may be thinking about it for the next car, remember to keep it up to date.

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