Internet Literacy 301: NAVTEQ and you


I decided that since I’m not solely a SharePoint Guy anymore, I’d add other geeky articles I write (usually for private audiences) here as well.

Here’s one about the mapping data source that provides most of the mapping data you see on Google Maps and GPSes and so on:

NAVTEQ is the mapping data company that supplies most of the major mapping companies and utilities with that data. They provide the address resolution (geocoding), the squiggly lines that map to our real world roads and highways and a lot of Point of Interest data like gas stations, hotels, hospitals, police stations, etc. Anything that later ends up on your view of Google or Yahoo Maps or your GPS in your car or that you walk around with, whatever.

So if you notice a mapping error (not necessarily a directions error), but something like a missing street or the wrong way one way or a missing hotel from the Points of Interest, or that the address you just typed in is on the wrong end of the street, or whatever, NAVTEQ is the folks you need to notify.

Last time i did this (when NAVTEQ was showing a schoolyard as a street and thus GPS devices were directing presumably lost motorists to drive through it), NAVTEQ’s form was clunky and difficult to use, no tracking information or updates were available to you when you submitted a change request, and it kinda sucked. Still, they did eventually get the update out to Google Maps, and I presume to many of the GPS software/devices folks use (they issue updates as frequently as quarterly, but it depends on the vendors who use their data).

Anyhow, now they have a newfangled form that’s integrated into their mapping data and if you enter changes, it provides you a tracking number, and you can tie an e-mail address to the report so you can get updates.

So here’s where to go if you want to enter any updates (don’t fret, it’s mostly a form, and you can attach a document or picture to help with the issue)

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