The public can assist in mapping the road to safety on GPS
The public can assist in mapping the road to safety on GPS
What happens when a local municipality changes a road or a new development alters a previous route? This might pose a risk to road users blindly following the map provided by their GPS provider.
The Arrive Alive Road Safety website has recently received a TomTom XL and has undertaken to analyze how such a device might benefit road safety in South Africa. It is important for the safety of foreign visitors that we provide advice and suggestions on road conditions in South Africa – and for local expertise to be provided to the developers.
TomTom Map Share allows a community of TomTom drivers to make map corrections and share them with millions of TomTom users on the roads, with user-friendly technology.
- Drivers change by tapping into their device
- The change is uploaded to TomTom’s database
- It is then sent to all Map Share usersFrom changing the name of a road to reporting a change of traffic direction, useful additions come from users actually using the roads. Even temporary changes, like road works, are included.
What corrections can be made?
The public can assist in mapping the road to safety on GPS
- (Un)block street
Allows you to block access for cars from either one or both sides of the street (i.e. if a street has changed to a one way street or is not accessible at all any more). - Reverse traffic direction
Allows you to change the traffic direction of one way streets on your map. - Edit street name
Allows you to edit street names (i.e. if the street name is incorrect or does not yet exist in the map data). - Change turn restrictions*
Allows you to change an incorrect road turn direction.
* Application version 8.00 or higher - Change road speed*
Allows you to change road speed limit.
* Application version 8.00 or higher - Add missing POI (Point Of Interest)
Allows you to add POIs to the preinstalled POI categories (i.e. if you pass a petrol station, hotel, restaurant, etc. which is not yet available on the map). - Edit POI
Allows you to do one of the following to a POI that exists on your map:- Delete the POI (if it no longer exists)
- Rename the POI (if the name is incorrect)
- Change the POI phone number (if the phone number is incorrect or not yet available in the map data)
- Change the POI category (if the POI is in the wrong category)
- Move the POI on the map (if it is not positioned correctly)
The Report other error menu provides a number of options for corrections, which do not take effect on your current map, but are reported to the map provider for verification.
The public can assist in mapping the road to safety on GPS
- Existing street
Allows you to do the following for streets that exist on your map:- Report streets that no longer exist
- Report an incorrect street name
- Report wrong or missing house numbers
- Report wrong speed limits
- Report wrong turns (i.e. if you are not allowed to turn left or right at a specific crossing)
- Report wrong street type
- Report a toll road
- Report streets that are positioned incorrectly
- Report mispronounced street names
- Missing street
Allows you to add a new street to your map - City
Allows you to report the following:- Missing city
- Wrong city name
- Alternative city name
- Motorway entrance / exit
Allows you to report new and incorrect motorway entrances and exits - Postcode
Allows you to change an incorrect postcode or add a new postcode if it does not yet exist on your map. - Roundabout
Allows you to add or remove roundabouts to / from your map.
TomTom has revealed that an average of 150,000 changes are submitted to Map Share every month, and this figure is always climbing. South African users need not be passive – road users can only benefit from the assistance of other road users in mapping the way to safety!
Visit the Arrive Alive Road Safety Website for more information on “GPS and Road Safety”
This is a request for corrections to our GPS and location mapping data for our business, ranch and home.
We operate Shambhala Ranch, a country inn and ranch in Mendocino County, California. Our address is 21200 Orr Springs Road and we own adjacent property at 21002 Orr Springs Road. Both locations are served by the Ukiah, 95482 post office. However, we are located 20 miles from the town limits, in an unincorporated area of the county.
Since our location is remote and there is very limited cell reception in our area, it is critical that our guests receive accurate maps and directions. Mobile, GPS and internet mapping errors have become a chronic problem. There are usually extreme errors in the electronic GPS guidance to our location. Guests often complaint about receiving inaccurate electronic information on our GPS coordinates, map location and directions to our location. GPS and internet map directions often use undeveloped and inappropriate roads as routes to our facility. A search of Google Earth by our business name or the 21200 address returns three different locations. One of these shows our coordinates as 39° 13’07’01″ N 123° 19’51.96″ W. A visual search of Google Earth’s satellite map photos reveals that our actual GPS coordinates are 39° 13’53.74″ N 123° 27’41.23″W. The coordinates indicated when using a Garmin (Nuvi 680, with City Navigator North America NT2009 GPS version SW3.0) at our front gate are 39° 13′.887 N 123° 27’41.27.666 W.
With regard to our adjacent property, A search of Google Earth using the address number returns coordinates of 39° 13’04.27” N 123° 19’46.83″ W. Google Earth’s satellite photos indicate that the correct GPS coordinates for 21002 are 39º 13’55.28″ N 123º27’35.05″ W. Please make appropriate corrections to coordinates associated with both addresses and our business name.
Another necessary correction is the removal of the text and roadway depictions of a non-existent section of Hoe Road which is shown as going through our property. The east end of Hoe Road begins approximately 1 mile east of our property at the intersection of Orr Springs Road and travels northwest, above our northern border through other peoples property. Although there is no drivable access to our site via Hoe Road, GPS devices and search engine maps sometimes depict a southwest end that terminates at our driveway entrance on Orr Springs Road. This is very confusing since there is no roadway at this location. This depiction of Hoe Road appears as going a short distance on our driveway and continuing alongside our lake and then through a long and very steep section of forestland. This section is actually a mere a hiking trail and a car or truck could not travel this way. We have never seen any vehicle travel down this trail during the eighteen years of our ownership. Furthermore, we do not know of any deeded legal right of way through this section of our property. To the best of our knowledge, there is no south/west end to Hoe Road intersecting Orr Springs Road. This is verifiable by aerial images and onsite evidence. Even if there were a legal right to develop a continued section of Hoe Road along this route, it is not helpful to current travelers to show a road that has not been built. This creates a problem for people looking for access to properties on Hoe Road using our driveway. It is of concern that someone attempting this route might end up in our lake! Please remove this inaccurate information from your database.
In summary, please make the changes that we have outlined below:
1) Street address coordinate corrections for:
21200 Orr Springs Road and 21002 Orr Springs Road
2) Name search coordinate corrections for Shambhala Ranch
3) Correct travel Direction errors to the above addresses
4) Removal of S/W end section Hoe Road
Thank you for your attention to this matter.