Windows Phone Thoughts: Prairies to the Coast - A Ride With iGuidance 3.0

Map Accuracy
As with any navigation application, accuracy is paramount. And accuracy comes in two different aspects. The first is the accuracy of the maps. If the maps you have are out of date, or do not accurately reflect the area, then the navigation package will be useless. Accurate maps not only handle the roads and addresses within an area, but also the distances to intersections, one-way roads, and a knowledge of general speed limits on each roadway. iGuidance uses maps provided by NavTeq and overall they seem pretty accurate for the areas I was traveling in. My one big beef with them from a mapping perspective was that they do not identify any of the roadways within shopping malls. (And in one case, didn’t acknowledge the existence of a large mall that had been there for 10 years at all!). Thus, if you are in one of these malls’ parking lots, you have to get out of the mall first, before you can reroute yourself anywhere else.

The other aspect of accuracy is positioning of yourself on the map, and tolerances. If the navigation software incorrectly interprets the GPS data and puts you on the wrong place on the map, then directions given will be wrong, since it is assuming you are somewhere you are not. In only a couple of places in the city did I find iGuidance giving me directions to turn too early, since it thought I was about 200m ahead of where I actually was. And it always happened at the same place, so I assume it’s a problem with the map.

Unfortunately, iGuidance also isn’t very tolerant of being what it considers ‘off road’. I tried to use the package for walking around town, but about half the time, walking along the sidewalk was considered ‘off road’ and I was prompted to “Proceed to the nearest road”. And the same would happen if I went into a mall or any other place where the map had no roads identified. Other packages I’ve seen have a wider tolerance and will route you from a position on the nearest road or from the nearest PoI or Favorite.

Also, because of the lack of off-road features or other non-vehicle infrastructure (such as paths or trailways for bikes) and the tolerance problems, I couldn’t use iGuidance for most of my bicycle commute to work (since it’s on an abandoned railway track that has been converted to a bike/walking trail).