by nodrog » Fri Sep 08, 2006 3:41 pm
Dear Mr. Barr,
I'm European Marketing Manager for Tele Atlas and your message was sent
to my attention. First I would like to thank you for sharing the errors
you found in Glasgow. I rest to assure you that they have been taken
care of.
As you pointed out in one of your messages, it's important that we
explain our updating and correction process.
Tele Atlas has more than 50.000 sources of data, including mobile
mapping vans that drive all around Europe to collect data to either
update the changes in the roadnetwork that occur everyday or to correct
possible errors. This is a tremendous amount of work as we currently
cover over 7.8 million kilometers of roads in Europe. We check all the
sources and validate the information very carefully. Consumer feedback
is one of our sources and it is a very important one.
When we receive the consumer feedback, we open projects to solve the
problems or make updates on the data. Given the complexity of the
collection and validation processes required to assure quality, that may
take a few months. Once the error has been corrected in our database, it
will become available to the application developers (our direct
customers) in our next product release. Tele Atlas releases updated
products to its customers every 3 months.
When our customers receive our products, the data will also be
incorporated into their software updating process. This is a process
Tele Atlas has no control over but our customers do receive updated data
and process this data in different time frames that can take sometimes
six months. Only after our customers release their final products and
updates, can consumers check whether the updates are available for their
use.
Tele Atlas has launched a Beta version of a new consumer feedback tool,
the Map Insight, that will speed up the updating process and will also
make it easier for consumers to provide feedback and check whether a
problem still exists in our database.
Regarding the specific errors that you have reported, I would like to
let you know that we had an updating process last January in that region
and we will have another updating process at the end of this year. Most
of the errors you shared with us have already been corrected in our
database. The problem in Beckman Street will be corrected soon and the
problem in the University Avenue has been corrected partially and will
also be finalized soon. Once our product is released, changes that we
made are available on Map Insight.
I noticed that you have visited this website. It's still been further
improved and will be officially launched in the next couple of months.
If you have any suggestions on the site usability and how we can improve
it to better satisfy the needs of consumers, please report that either
through the feedback option at the last page of your feedback or send
your suggestions to me. The process I described above will be explained
in this website because it's important that the end-users of our data
understand the complexity of a mapping creation, the importance of
quality for us and also how the data is processed until it gets to final
use.
Please let me know if you have any questions or other suggestions.
I thank you once again and kind regards,
Karine Dombi
European Marketing Manager
Tele Atlas NV
Moutstraat 132
Gent - BE - 9000
"I'd just move on to the 'hot-air ballooning vigilante' stage of my career earlier than planned"
www.scottishcinemas.org.uk
www.twitter.com/scottishcinemas