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Sat Nav.. how old is your data ?

Thanks to Adena at allpoints for pointing out this press release from Navteq announcing their new “Sat Nav” Challenge website which allows users to find out if there is updated data for their navigation system.

navteq data

Great I though.. I checked for my system, only to find that my system is not listed.., although my Nissan X-Trail has a factory fit navigation system, the data comes from Zenrin and is not compatible with either navteq or Tele Atlas data for that matter. Zenrin as you might guess don’t seem to offer updates..

My car is two years old, the data on the navigation DVD was published two years earlier so I am using at least four year old data – and I am unable to update.

In my view this is not an acceptable situation, once again a new technologies growth is been limited by a “walled garden’ approach to technology in the same way LBS will not take off until the applications are separated from the network providers, sat nav will stall unless there is an open data format for navigation systems.

Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.

16 replies on “Sat Nav.. how old is your data ?”

My wife’s Acrua DVD Nav upgrade is about $250. Living in Phoenix means our Nav is pretty much always out of date. 🙂

It is interesting that Acura uses an Alpine system with Navteq, but it isn’t listed. Still the Acrua dealer is willing to take our money on the update.

Hi James,

Yes $250 seems to be around the usual cost – Any idea how old the data is ? Understand you point about phoenix, even here in the ye olde UK roads change more frequently than many people appreciate.

ed

There is no way as far as I can tell as to the date of the data (the DVD says 2006, but I’m sure that is the copyright).

If I go off of freeways, the data would seem to reflect sometime between September 2005 and June 2006 given how far out of town they have been completed.

The big issue is that the average consumer can’t tell at all as to the date. The DVD Nav GUI doesn’t tell anyone the publish date of the data, nor the company that provides it. Via Acura’s website you can subscribe to an email list that will tell you when updates are available so I guess that is something.

Navteq fail to point out that they only have the system they supply listed, yet they give the impression that its every sat navigation device in existance…

Hi, I have just bought a nearly new Mercedes-Benz in England and have been unhappy with the Satnav. On inspecting the DVD disc I find the data files were created in 2004.
Mercedes refuse to update my system and want me to pay £217 for a new data disc.
Do you have any idea what company makes the system and software for Mercedes? Any info would be appreciatedl.
Regards, Gordon.

Gordon,

I think you may have a TravelPilot system, if this is the case you need Tele Atlas data – online at navshop.com

I bought an X-trail new in November 2005. Recently I was driving near Birmingham and discovered that the M6 Toll was not in the sat nav data. I checked on the internet and found that the road was opened in November 2003. I checked the disc and found it dated 2003. I complained to Nissan and was told that an update was published a month after I had bought the car and that they were not willing to change it unless I spent some £300. I am considering claiming in the small claims court as the brochure on which I based the decision to buy did not mention that the nav data could be 2 years out of date.

Just read Ben’s post re Nissan’s unhelpful stance on SatNav. I’m in Ireland and this year my wife and I bought two new Nissan’s (Pathfinder and Primera) both with with SatNav. The mapping was created by Christopher Columbus and utterly useless. I too am inclined to have a go at Nissan for duping us into expensive SatNav kit with much-outdated mapping. Have you done anything about it Ben. The Small Claims Court might be the cheapest and quickest route. Peter

I have a nissan navara with sat nav and wanted to up date the dvd rom to include new roads, tolls, gatos etc.. and find it really frustrating that compared with the likes of tom tom etc nissan and the software manufacturers have created a no win situation for the consumer for crazy profits!!!

hi, i live in ireland and bought a nissan primara in jan 05 the sat nav was totally useless my home town and most of the country was not on it. i was wondering have you taken any action against nissan to resolve you problem?. it would be nice to hear from you.

best regarda

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