CN Southern Africa NT 2024.20 Errors

[aronrana]

Hello to all. Hope you are well.

I would like to report some map/navigation errors for City Navigator Southern Africa NT 2024.20. The device I am using is the Garmin nüvi 3597LMT with software version 5.50. My device is set to navigate using the fastest route.

The coordinates for the first error are -25.9326115, 32.5054889. My garmin device navigates me off the main highway (EN2) to a route that has terrible roads (bad potholes). This deviation is shorter distance than following the EN2 highway to join the EN4 highway, but has a lower average speed and thus takes longer than using the highway. There is no benefit for my device to navigate me via the detour off the main highway.

The coordinates for the second error are -25.4695556, 31.0814444. The Garmin map indicates that these coordinates are for a road/ramp that joins the N4 highway in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. Google Maps and Google Earth both show that this is not true: there is no road at these coordinates. I was navigated by my device to this area a few days ago on my way to Pretoria and there is indeed no such road/ramp at these coordinates. Because of this map error, the Garmin device navigates me off the N4 highway and onto another road before telling me to re-join the N4 using the road/ramp in question. Because this road/ramp doesn’t exist, you end up driving around in circles trying to find the right directions because the Garmin device can't give right directions at that time. The issue here is that the garmin map indicates a non existent road/ramp, but also that the device incorrectly navigates me off the main highway then re-routes to the same highway for no apparent reason (coordinates of off-ramp from N4 are -25.4731100, 31.0961400). My device gave the same incorrect navigation at the same spot on my drive back to Maputo.

The coordinates of the third error are -25.7873400, 28.2784800. My Garmin device wanted to navigate me through gated private property, as opposed to using the main streets, in order to get to the Protea Hotel Fire and Ice in Menlyn. This street that my device navigated me on was essentially a dead end, but according to the Garmin map, it would lead to the main street (Garsfontein Rd). This is not true in reality.

The above mentioned map errors lead me to lose valuable time. I have done a factory reset on my device in addition to re-installing the maps and device software but no change was noticed.

I reported these errors to Garmin SA and am waiting for their response.

What are your thoughts on these errors?


Thanks
Aron

[Phillip Coetser]

Hi Aron,
These errors occur because SA is a third world country with regards to many things as well as maps. Garmin Europe bought Garmin SA in 2013, and since then we've had problems wit roads etc. not being updated. When Garmin SA did the maps prior to 2013, we as the public could contact them, Garmin SA, informing them with new roads, developments and speed cameras etc. These map sets were then on a monthly basis made available to us on a DVD to purchase from outlets like Outdoor Warehouse.
Garmin Europe does not do map designing, but outsource HERE maps to do the work for them. I once reported a map error to Garmin Europe and it took them longer than 3 months to correct. Not many people nowadays make use of Gps devices anymore, they use their smart phones. There is a South African company, though, that does map designing (https://tracks4africa.co.za/) and their maps are very comprehensively prepared.

Regards

[Jan Horn]

Screenshot 2023-11-18 154929.png

I had a look at the second error you listed. The one at the N4 R104 turnoff. The off ramp is in fact some way back from what look on the map as the off ramp. The road from the off ramp runs parallel to the N4 and very close to it as you can see on Google earth. The closeness of the two roads causes the rendering to seem like a the offramp. There is and error where the map show that little portion of dirt trac as as motor portion of the road system. I presume the locals use that as a shortcut to avoid traveling all the way to the offramp. I used MapSourse to navigate from the N4 to the R104 and it had no problem following the correct route.
CN maps are very sensitive to your navigation preferences (shorter distance, Faster route and avoidances) and often choose a bad option. I personally first plan any new route that I intend traveling on MapSourse and force it to take the route a prefer and then download it to my GPS ensuring no surprises when I travel.

[aronrana]

Hi Aron,
These errors occur because SA is a third world country with regards to many things as well as maps. Garmin Europe bought Garmin SA in 2013, and since then we've had problems wit roads etc. not being updated. When Garmin SA did the maps prior to 2013, we as the public could contact them, Garmin SA, informing them with new roads, developments and speed cameras etc. These map sets were then on a monthly basis made available to us on a DVD to purchase from outlets like Outdoor Warehouse.
Garmin Europe does not do map designing, but outsource HERE maps to do the work for them. I once reported a map error to Garmin Europe and it took them longer than 3 months to correct. Not many people nowadays make use of Gps devices anymore, they use their smart phones. There is a South African company, though, that does map designing (https://tracks4africa.co.za/) and their maps are very comprehensively prepared.

Regards

Hi Phillip. Thank you for the info. Its unfortunate that we cant report and resolve map errors effectively and efficiently with Garmin. I can try to email Garmin Europe, as you tried, and hope for an answer.

I gave the HERE maps iphone app a try and was not impressed. It is not as comprehensive as Google and thus navigation can also get inaccurate. Yes, people now use smartphones more than GPS devices. I prefer to use my phone for short trips and then use my Garmin for longer trips. In my opinion, I like the display of my Garmin. The logos are bigger and the device also gives exit numbers (for example, take exit 145 instead of take the exit in 500m), which keeps my eyes off the Garmin as much as possible.

I will look into the tracks 4 africa maps.

[aronrana]

Screenshot 2023-11-18 154929.pngI had a look at the second error you listed. The one at the N4 R104 turnoff. The off ramp is in fact some way back from what look on the map as the off ramp. The road from the off ramp runs parallel to the N4 and very close to it as you can see on Google earth. The closeness of the two roads causes the rendering to seem like a the offramp. There is and error where the map show that little portion of dirt trac as as motor portion of the road system. I presume the locals use that as a shortcut to avoid traveling all the way to the offramp. I used MapSourse to navigate from the N4 to the R104 and it had no problem following the correct route.
CN maps are very sensitive to your navigation preferences (shorter distance, Faster route and avoidances) and often choose a bad option. I personally first plan any new route that I intend traveling on MapSourse and force it to take the route a prefer and then download it to my GPS ensuring no surprises when I travel.

Hi Jan. Thank you.

From Maputo to Pretoria, it would seem that staying on the N4 is the best option, as oppossed to using the R104. My device wanted me to take the off ramp onto the R104 then wanted me to keep right to get back on to the N4. There was no such road to merge back onto the N4 without going back to the off ramp. But even if there was a road to merge, i dont understand why it would make me take this small detour from the N4 for nothing.

Yes, the roads are very close to each other in the area in question

I will look into Map source and plan/programme my own routes. The map source equivalent for mac computers is garmin base camp so I will use that.

[Phillip Coetser]

Hi Aron.
For info only. On my Nuvi 3597, I have the following map sets installed on a SD Card,
* Garmap SSA Streetmaps 2013 .3 NT
* Open Streetmap South Africa And Lesotho
* Open Mapset Southern Africa
* CN Southern Africa 2024.2
Using the different map sets individually, planning a route in simulation mode, using your error 2 coordinates S25.469556 E031.0814444, approx. 1Km before your coordinates, driving North I can see a clear difference between the map sets.
* Garmap SSA Streetmaps 2013, very old map set, clearly shows the route from Maputo side travelling North to Pretoria.

SSA Streetmaps.png

*Open Streetmap South Africa And Lesotho

Lesotho.png

* Open Mapset Southern Africa

Open Maps.png

* CN Southern Africa 2024.2

CNSA 1.png

CNSA.png

Attached screenshots of TomTom and Google map sets

TomTom.png

Google Maps.png

Regards

[aronrana]

Hi Aron.
For info only. On my Nuvi 3597, I have the following map sets installed on a SD Card,
* Garmap SSA Streetmaps 2013 .3 NT
* Open Streetmap South Africa And Lesotho
* Open Mapset Southern Africa
* CN Southern Africa 2024.2
Using the different map sets individually, planning a route in simulation mode, using your error 2 coordinates S25.469556 E031.0814444, approx. 1Km before your coordinates, driving North I can see a clear difference between the map sets.
* Garmap SSA Streetmaps 2013, very old map set, clearly shows the route from Maputo side travelling North to Pretoria.

SSA Streetmaps.png

*Open Streetmap South Africa And Lesotho

Lesotho.png

* Open Mapset Southern Africa

Open Maps.png

* CN Southern Africa 2024.2

CNSA 1.png

CNSA.png


Attached screenshots of TomTom and Google map sets


TomTom.png


Google Maps.png


Regards

Hi Phillip

Thank you for that extensive comparison.

My parents have an old nüvi 1300 with Garmin Streetmaps 2010. That device correctly navigates the Maputo to Pretoria route, just as you have demonstrated.

I got in touch with HERE Maps about these map errors. They first advised me to check on their website if their map is displayed correctly. It was. They then said that Garmin buys the map set from them to convert it for Garmin devices. In essence, they are saying that since their database is correct, only Garmin is able to fix these errors, either by correcting the current map set or by purchasing the latest map set from HERE.

I compared HERE Maps, Google Maps and Apple Maps on my phone. All these apps gave identical routing to Pretoria from Maputo. The exception is that the HERE maps made me take the same detour in Maputo as my Garmin device. The app did not navigate me off the N4 onto the R104 like my Garmin device.

I don’t mind slight variations in the routing of the navigation services available, as long as I don’t get lost or waste valuable time because of map errors.

[F.Viljoen]

Also for more Info....

viewtopic.php?p=4936#p4936

[aronrana]

Thank you Frans. Will get in touch with them.

I came up with a temporary solution to my map errors last night. I made custom avaoidances for the map/navigation errors on my Garmin device. This prevents my device from navigating me through these areas. However, I cant quite set up a avoidance for that R104 turnoff from the N4 in Mbombela. I set the custom avoidance for the R104 but the device thinks that the R104 is part of the same section of road as the N4 and thus creates a route that avoids the N4 entirely (routes me through KZN and Swaziland from Maputo to Pretoria instead of using N4). There is definately a map error for this area in question.

[F.Viljoen]

Try it this way. (Mapsource Custom Avoidance)

Custom Avoidance 1.jpg

Custom Avoidances 2.jpg

The routing error is here. (Should not be linked)

Custom Avoidances 3.jpg