I cannot NOT allow this to go unsaid, and since I haven’t seen a single news article or blog post about this, I’m going to have to cover it myself…
Lately there’s been a few stories in the news about people getting stranded “because of their GPS.” The Air Force even went so far as saying it wasn’t a fault in their system, but they wouldn’t say who was at fault. Probably because they didn’t want to upset the GPSr companies like Garmin & Tom Tom.
Anyone who knows anything but just the basics about GPSrs can tell you what the problem was — both the users and the maps. The maps are either from the device manufacturer or a third party, not the Air Force and GPS satellite system.
So, just like when we plug in addresses for directions on Google Maps, there’s some error involved. When I had to go to the California School for the Deaf in November, Google Maps had me take two U-Turns immediately after each other, which put me back in the same direction. It also told me to get on and off the freeway at the same street (I caught that error before executing it, but I have to admit I very sheepishly made those U-Turns.)
When I ended up getting lost in San Jose the next day, I used my GPSr to get back on the right track. My GPSr has the most current Garmin maps installed on it. Yet, it still told me to turn left, straight into a median on the expressway… no where near the actual entry onto I-880 a mile ahead. My friend & I broke out the DeLorme Road atlas, which wasn’t any additional help, and decided to keep driving.
Road signs are also mis-leading *cough 152-E*Watsonville*cough,* but they do help.
Maps on GPSrs are not nearly as updated or advanced as Google Maps is. Google takes into account what’s a back road and what isn’t, or traffic problems. GPSr maps just see Point A and Point B, and they just simply connect the dots.
My recommendation for novice GPSr users? If you have the ability to do so, export the route generated by Google or Mapquest to your GPSr instead of letting your GPSr decide for you. I believe for Google you have to export it to KML file to Google Earth, then from Google Earth export the route to your device. Google does have an export function for GPSr directly in the browser, but it’s only the end point, not the route.
Personally, I always use Google Maps. You can alter the route to your heart’s content. For example, we travel to the Monterey Bay area frequently for fun, work, & family (Jeff grew up in Mt. Hermon, at the Christian camp. His mom grew up a stone’s throw from the Red Castle in Santa Cruz.) Anyways, we take a road off of the freeway thru… Castorville? I think? Even getting out of town we disagree from Google Maps, because we prefer to take advantage of the country roads that have zero traffic.
Basically, don’t rely on auto-pilot. If it worked, we wouldn’t have airline pilots anymore. Or taxi drivers. Or wives who force their husbands to ask for directions.
The blog might be silent for the next few days, we’ll be in the Monterey/Santa Cruz area for Jeff’s grandma’s memorial services. If something interesting should happen, I have wordpress on my phone, you’ll get an update!
