is the gps wrong or is the map

beaverpants · 05-08-2004, 10:27 AM

right now im useing MS mappoint.

and when i use my GPS it tracks me just find. but 1/2 the time im off the road. or about 500feet off

sometimes just on the wrong side of the highway.

im guessing mappoint's maps or whare the roads are is wrong.

most big intersection's the GPS is dead on. but i live in the hilly contry of NY i guess some of the map info is probly 50 years old.

is thare any newer map software with new maps.

coachreed · 05-09-2004, 12:15 AM

I'm gonna take a stab at this one... my guess is that the accuracy of the GPS is off a little... my dad had a big boat with a GPS plotter system on it and it would regularly show his boat parked out in the street when he was on his lift on the canal... his explained that GPS systems are based on military satelites and they have the ability to LET you have closer accuracy but choose not to. He said that during the Gulf war they had a shortage of military GPS systems so they inlisted more civilian GPS units and then unlocked the satelites to show accuracy within inches as opposed to the usual 20'-30' accuracy that civilian units would have. Now... with that being said, I'm not sure how completely accurate that is, but coming from my ol' man, I expect its pretty dead spot on. Hope that makes some sense.

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Coach... I mean Randy (I often forget who I really am)

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shadowpuck · 05-09-2004, 12:19 AM

i'm using mappoint with a USB receiver and i am not having any problems such as you describe. most of the maps in the modern mapping programs should be fairly up to date - notice i said 'should.'

others have reported similar problems with their gps - you might try doing a search in the forums....

Ricky327 · 05-09-2004, 12:40 AM

Most likely its the GPS accuracy problems if you see your self driving on the walkway or the other side of the road. With some nagivation software not being so clever it can reroute you when it sees you on some road.

The more clever ones snaps your position on the road you are currently driving on even though the GPS lost its accuracy. This avoid from false rerouting...I dont think mappoint have that sort of features.

wi77iam · 05-09-2004, 10:58 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by coachreed

I'm gonna take a stab at this one... my guess is that the accuracy of the GPS is off a little... my dad had a big boat with a GPS plotter system on it and it would regularly show his boat parked out in the street when he was on his lift on the canal... his explained that GPS systems are based on military satelites and they have the ability to LET you have closer accuracy but choose not to. He said that during the Gulf war they had a shortage of military GPS systems so they inlisted more civilian GPS units and then unlocked the satelites to show accuracy within inches as opposed to the usual 20'-30' accuracy that civilian units would have. Now... with that being said, I'm not sure how completely accurate that is, but coming from my ol' man, I expect its pretty dead spot on. Hope that makes some sense.

Selective Availability was turned off in 2000, so the GPS signal is no longer being intentionally degraded. Accuracy will depend on line-of-sight to the satellites and number of sats being tracked. Accuracy can be increased if you have a WAAS enabled receiver and can pick up the WAAS signal.

The inaccuracy you're seeing is almost certainly caused by the quality of your received signal and by mapping software discrepancies.

beaverpants · 05-09-2004, 10:51 PM

well its dead on with some roads. other roads its way off. pine city new york dosnt have the most uptodate stuff. thare was a 911 change of the house numbers over 10 years ago and mappoint dosnt know the new numbers.

also roads made within the last 5 years arnt even on the map