How up to date a satnav map is - does it matter?

[ianj37]

That's good news Hugh, I guess the only issue is that one never knows how long it will actually take to come to fruition.

Unfortunately my question to OS regarding up to date maps for Garmin devices has had a less satisfactory outcome. OS say that getting their maps into a format can be used on Garmin devices is something that only Garmin can do and so clearly there is nothing they can do, this seems a little strange as Martin at Talkytoaster puts together maps that run on Garmin devices, as far as I can see without help from Garmin.
Anyway it would seem that Garmin OS maps are not necessarily updated regularly and so this has done is to force me to make a decision and I've decided that at the end of the day the map is the most important factor so my decision about SatMap v Garmin has been made and I've returned to SatMap - less user friendly than Garmin but they do update their OS maps once a year.
Many thanks for your help.

[Hugh Westacott]

Ian

The Ordnance Survey has given me a reference number which probably means that I will be notified when the link is made. I'll keep members of the forum informed.

There is a caveat to the reminder of this post. I still prefer to navigate with map and compass so the only satnav I use is a Garmin Foretrex 401 which does not support mapping software. I use Grough software from which I print the maps that I want. I have no experience of using other software except wheresthepath? which I find useful for the aerial photography. So some of what follows is supposition.

I suspect that the OS won't answer your question about updating on the grounds of commercial sensitivity. All software based on OS copyrighted material has to be licensed and it may be that the terms of the licence varies from company to company depending on the tariff charged. So it is possible that by paying a higher copyright fee, company X gets regular updates whereas company B, which does not pay so much, either gets fewer updates or none at all during the period of its licence (but this is speculation on my part).

The evidence indicates that, in the case of Grough, and may be others, the Explorer maps supplied by the OS are unedited versions. The whole of Great Britain is mapped by the OS at 1:10,000 using a 5-metre contour interval but the contour interval on printed Explorer maps is either 5-metres in predominately lowland countryside, or 10-metres on those sheets of predominately upland countryside. The contour intervals are never mixed on the same sheet so it is only necessary to glance at the map key to establish the interval.

But, of course, mapping software is seemless and does not respect sheet lines so navigators have to be aware that contour intervals may change without notice. For example, Explorer OL1 The Dark Peak has a 10-metre contour interval but the adjacent OL24 The White Peak employs a 5-metre interval. If I enter grid ref SK 01496 79996 into my Grough software I can see where the 5-metre interval suddenly stops. It looks very odd!

It is not widely known that the OS relies on some third-party information for mapping purposes including national and local government and parliamentary constituency boundaries, and, more importantly for England and Wales, rights of way and the boundaries of access land.

Hugh
I grow old...I grow old, I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled. T.S.Eliot

[Hugh Westacott]

According to a post on ordnancemaps@yahoogroups.co.uk by a member of the Charles Close Society for the Study of Ordnance Survey Maps, the maps available on Getamap  (http://www.getamap.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/) are updated bi-annually. This post appeared on 9th January and has not yet been challenged by other members so it's likely to be correct as they are sticklers for accuracy.

But it's a moot point whether this is the case for mapping software available from third parties.

Hugh
I grow old...I grow old, I shall wear the bottom of my trousers rolled. T.S.Eliot

[ianj37]

Thanks for the information Hugh.

I think Get-a-Map is great. I tried a paid for trial subscription but I let that lapse primarily because although, as their web site said, I could get  unlimited A4 prints I could never get these to print out at the correct size so although they were good for showing my planned route they couldn't be used for measuring distance or taking bearings from the map etc. Could be that the problem was/is with my printer but Anquet prints out spot on. I also thought it disappointing that waypoints couldn't be named.

Ian