Which one is better for turn by turn navigation in USA? I think Ovi Maps are sluggish...
Ovi Maps vs Google Maps USAw
MonarchX wrote:Which one is better for turn by turn navigation in USA? I think Ovi Maps are sluggish...
OVI Maps are totally free, and work fine for me.
I also believe Google Maps downloads maps on the fly (online data connection) whilst OVI Maps caches the entire country map on E:
MonarchX wrote:Which one is better for turn by turn navigation in USA? I think Ovi Maps are sluggish...
Ovi Maps, for the reason dez borders mentioned.
Google Maps has to connect and download as you go. This increases your data usage, hogs your connection and there is a lag.
Providing you set Ovi Maps up first and download the states, or country, you require along with the voice navigation then there is no competition.
For details, see here:-
I followed the set up instructions as suggested by Ian in his thread Maps for Dummies, and used in action fo the firt time last week, with the updated Ovi Maps ( free voice navigation ) and thought it worked reasonably well. I had downloaded the entire map fromNokia's Map Loader and have isntalled on E Drive, so there is no download on the fly, wwas quite impressed with it.
Not as accurate I have to say, as my previous version of Tom Tom, but for free voice navigation, thought it was pretty good.
Both programs have their advantages.
Both are free.
I have both.
nottmbantam is correct...Ovi Maps is nowhere near as accurate (location-wise or map-data-wise) as my TomTom One (dedicated GPS).
Ovi Map data appears to have been derived from the same source as Google Earth which can be as much as a block off street-number-wise from reality.
I live in a major metropolitan area with streets and numbers that haven't changed for 40 years--yet the data still is not correct.
Either program will, in general, get you close to where you are trying to go.
Wouldn't Ovi Maps show fewer locations than Google Maps in USA since Nokia is more Europe oriented? What about general accuracy and turn by turn directions? I heard Ovi Maps are optimized for N97 GPS (which sometimes malfunctions).
MonarchX wrote:Wouldn't Ovi Maps show fewer locations than Google Maps in USA since Nokia is more Europe oriented? What about general accuracy and turn by turn directions? I heard Ovi Maps are optimized for N97 GPS (which sometimes malfunctions).
As they are both FREE, why not splash out and install them both.
That way you can compare them for yourself in your location.
Navteq who supply the Nokia map data should be OK for the United States as it supplies maps for Garmin and the U.S. Armed Forces.
Unfortunately, in the United States, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) GPS is never going to be terribly accurate because of the U.S. Depeartment of Homeland Security "dumbing" it down:-
"SPS signal accuracy is intentionally degraded to protect U.S. national security interests. This process, called Selective Availability (SA), controls the availability of the system's full capabilities."
I have not experienced any "malfunctions" with the N97 GPS however because Google is downloading "data on the run" it stands to reason that any loss of 3G signal, which is "patchy" in the U.S; will interfere with the download thus rendering it useless.
Also, "downloading on the run" means that it will obviously produce a lag in turn by turn navigation whilst loading. Not only that, but it will increase your data usage greatly whilst also tying up your handsets connection.
Hope this helps. 😊
I drove from LA to Chicago using only Ovi Maps for guidance (although I had GMM installed as well for looking up restaurants etc).
No problems at all.
[email protected] wrote:Unfortunately, in the United States, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) GPS is never going to be terribly accurate because of the U.S. Depeartment of Homeland Security "dumbing" it down:-"SPS signal accuracy is intentionally degraded to protect U.S. national security interests. This process, called Selective Availability (SA), controls the availability of the system's full capabilities."
As far as I am aware, SPS hasn't been used since 2000 - before DHS even existed.
Seft wrote:As far as I am aware, SPS hasn't been used since 2000 - before DHS even existed.
Still in use I'm afraid.
This refers to updates to it in 2008. The first since 2001.
http://www.insidegnss.com/node/847
Department of Homeland Security document regarding SPS:-
DHS site (your link):
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/GPS/GPSfaq.htm#(SA)
Set to zero (i.e. "off"😉.
I think that the N97's lack of accuracy is due to either or both:
- bad math in the software (round-off)
- clock timing issues (not close enough to real time processing)
I stand corrected rdcinhou.
Thank you. You are correct, President Clinton ordered the lifting of the GPS "cap" in 1996 and this happened in May 2000.
I was given to understand that this "cap" had been reactivated post 9/11 but can find no reference to this now.
It does seem strange however, that a lot of the GPS problem postings seem to emanate from North America.
This excellent posting today by Jay Montano is typical of my, and quite a few others this side of the pond, experience of the latest Ovi Maps v3.03 on the N97, v21.
Well worth a read.
Thanks for the link Ian, it is goooood isn't it 😃
I've had no problems (and didn't have all that many with v12 or v20) with maps, and am using it more and more frequently (leaving my tomtom at home)
I always get a great gps fix as soon as i leave the house (so it just means that i have to sit in the car to set things up, no problem though, just a few seconds - i have to do the same thing with the tomtom so it's possible that my sitting room is in a black hole)
I don't know many people in the UK now who have problems with gps on their N97's or 5800's especially since the ovi maps update 😊
Sorry RDC, i wish you could enjoy the same facility, i have no idea why it's just not working for you