Open Dialog: Road Geeks & Commercial Mapping Companies

Started by adamjackson, April 03, 2015, 01:17:34 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

adamjackson

I think a few of you here know me. I lurk sometimes and usually forget to login so I'm just an anonymous guest browsing topics and feeling jealous about all of your awesome adventures while I'm in my cubicle. I've been to 2 meets and hosted one @ our office in New Hampshire a while back. In fact, one of you now works at our company after seeing our operations.

My thought has always been that our groups are very similar. We want to make the world's best maps and we have cartographers here who have driven almost as many miles as some of you and taken photos but instead of SLRs, we use those fancy panorama setups with all kinds of fancy GPS equipment. We have Road sign photos and aerial  photos are all over the office of DOT mistakes and funny map-puns (I've heard 'em all).

I look at this forum to learn and on a few occasions, there were some things you all found that we haven't added to the map yet. It was a lead. We obviously check our sources on everything that is a lead but overall, this forum is educational and sometimes valuable to us.

I would like to make a more official partnership and haven't cleared this with anyone high-up (I'm just one guy talking) but what's really important is that people on AA Roads and Road Geeks are happy that people @ our company look at this forum for inspiration, humor, adventure and sometimes leads on map changes to what is a commercial map product.

So I'm posting here to get your feedback. Maybe there is a way to not promote our tools here (never would any of my people do that) but to simply have an open dialogue where if you're using our map and see an error, you know the right place to go to tell us about it or PM us on this forum. Sort of a one time mention that hey, "we're here and a part of this community but if you have some ideas or feedback, let us know!"

I've spoken to a few people here privately about what the best way for our people to advertise that they are open to map feedback without it seeming like we're advertising to make a buck.

Maybe one thing I should do is put my job title in my signature and maybe a link to our map feedback tool so people know I work for a commercial company but I'm also here to just talk and make friends and I can ask colleagues to do the same...more transparency is better!

Thanks in advance and I look forward to attending a few New England meets this year!

:wave:
I'm a project manager for North America and other regions for TomTom!

Tell us about map changes you observe on Map Share Reporter
http://www.tomtom.com/mapshare/tools/


Alps

I happen to directly know the person who works for you, so if I ever notice anything I just tell him. :)

adamjackson

Quote from: Alps on April 04, 2015, 01:28:07 AM
I happen to directly know the person who works for you, so if I ever notice anything I just tell him. :)

That's great and it's cool for you to think of him.

Again, I'm not here to market or sell stuff. Just to keep things open between our map makers and some really passionate road adventurers. Maybe it was a bad idea to bring it up?
I'm a project manager for North America and other regions for TomTom!

Tell us about map changes you observe on Map Share Reporter
http://www.tomtom.com/mapshare/tools/

english si

Surely we'd need to know which company you work for to point out mistakes in your company's mapping rather than just "this map is wrong"?

Though it's obvious you don't work for Google, as we have a lengthy errors thread with lots of submitted corrections that have been ignored. :P

adamjackson

Haha.

I work for TomTom. we hosted a meet at our office a while back.
I'm a project manager for North America and other regions for TomTom!

Tell us about map changes you observe on Map Share Reporter
http://www.tomtom.com/mapshare/tools/

rickmastfan67

Quote from: english si on April 11, 2015, 09:30:54 AM
Surely we'd need to know which company you work for to point out mistakes in your company's mapping rather than just "this map is wrong"?

Look at his signature. :P haha. ;)

Dr Frankenstein

I regularly post corrections to MapShare, although I have to actively look at the map there for outdated data since I haven't bought anything from TomTom. I do make a trip to your website whenever I become aware of a local change, though (as well as OSM, Google Maps and Waze).

While I'm not an admin/official on AARoads, I'm part of the staff in another large forum that's well known in its industry, and when we get e-mails from company officials and employees, we simply tell them to just create an account and browse/read/reply and interact with our users at their will, since our only job as a forum is to publish people's messages and make connections (we keep our work as neutral as we can). We basically tell them that it's the perfect way for them to be as close as possible to their customers, actual or potential. :) As such, one of our most well known members was actually a company official and acted both in an official capacity and as a casual poster depending on the thread she was posting in (she's changed jobs since then, but continues posting).

You're not outright telling anyone to buy TomTom products, you seem level-headed enough in your posts; honestly, you don't come out as someone trying to spam/market/sell/whatever and I think the vast majority of the people here are smart enough to figure that out. You don't have to keep the company anonymous either. ;)

If the company wishes to actually create some sort of official partnership or something, they should contact the admin directly. But if anyone in the company just wants to browse the forum, ask questions, post stuff... I guess they're as welcome as anyone else to create an account.

adamjackson

Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on April 14, 2015, 02:56:43 PM
I regularly post corrections to MapShare, although I have to actively look at the map there for outdated data since I haven't bought anything from TomTom. I do make a trip to your website whenever I become aware of a local change, though (as well as OSM, Google Maps and Waze).

That's a good practice. While I wouldn't submit changes to Google, I'm really happy to hear when people say they submit to Google and TomTom. They're independent road-lovers who just want the map to be improved no matter who is making it. Especially since if you tell someone your address, they might use a TomTom, iPhone, Blackberry, Garmin or Android phone and if only one of those gets it right, you're stuck giving them directions over the phone.

Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on April 14, 2015, 02:56:43 PM
While I'm not an admin/official on AARoads, I'm part of the staff in another large forum that's well known in its industry, and when we get e-mails from company officials and employees, we simply tell them to just create an account and browse/read/reply and interact with our users at their will, since our only job as a forum is to publish people's messages and make connections (we keep our work as neutral as we can).

Good advice and the colleagues I know on here are doing that. Just being social and browsing as much as is within reason during work/home hours. Don't tell my boss I'm here now :)


Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on April 14, 2015, 02:56:43 PM
You're not outright telling anyone to buy TomTom products, you seem level-headed enough in your posts; honestly, you don't come out as someone trying to spam/market/sell/whatever and I think the vast majority of the people here are smart enough to figure that out. You don't have to keep the company anonymous either. ;)

Exactly. I know there was some skepticism when we hosted a meet at our office last year but truthfully, the team in Lebanon NH is our map product unit. we make maps here, not hardware devices so to invite someone over from Europe who is just going to give out pamphlets and try to sell devices is really disingenuous. so I wouldn't do it here either. I'm familiar with our hardware products but am no salesperson.


Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on April 14, 2015, 02:56:43 PM
If the company wishes to actually create some sort of official partnership or something, they should contact the admin directly. But if anyone in the company just wants to browse the forum, ask questions, post stuff... I guess they're as welcome as anyone else to create an account.

Noted. Thank you and thanks for your response! It does give me the confidence to be a bit more active knowing that I won't be shunned for what I do in my day job.
I'm a project manager for North America and other regions for TomTom!

Tell us about map changes you observe on Map Share Reporter
http://www.tomtom.com/mapshare/tools/

cpzilliacus

I have been bothering the Hades out of your staff recently with updates and corrections and related stuff.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

vtk

I once sent Navteq a correction via their Map Reporter system about an interchange in Columbus that was outdated in several products using their data, including the map on their own site. Months later, they replied "our database reflects reality", and their data had apparently been updated in the intervening time. This experience did not encourage me to submit more corrections. Not long after that, OSM came to my attention, and then Google dropped NavTeq in favor of public data and community corrections...
Wait, it's all Ohio? Always has been.

Rothman

I've had similar experiences with corrections and NAVTEQ.  You use their reporter and then they give you the snub.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.