Foursquare and Parkopedia Maps

privet01

On my Drivesmart 61 LMT-s there has always been three installed CN North America NT maps. One Foursquare, one Parkopedia and ALL.



I've been assuming that the Foursquare and Parkopedia just are essentially POI's of those companies respective database that Garmin thought we'd all love to have on our device. Since I don't want any of the greatness that these companies claim to give-- I try to keep these maps unchecked on my device. However it seems that they get enabled automatically during the update process, or maybe in my haste to just let GE do it's thing, I'm missing something when starting the update.

So I'm wondering several things....

1) what do these extra maps really bring to the world of my Drivesmart 61?
2) could they be why, when I have the audio turned on, that my Garmin sometimes puts out two or three turn alerts both prior to and just before the actual turn from an interstate?
3) I get to this screen through the [settings] [map & vehicle] [myMaps]. The screen says "Update Maps", However I'm used to other Garmin devices where a similar screen is used to enable/disable installed maps. What really is the function of this screen, which although I'd swear I've disabled parkopedia and foursquare maps several times before, always seem to be checked at a later date when I look after an update.

sussamb

They are basically POI databases but are enabled after a map update, just as the CN map is. I've found no way to stop that behaviour.

Boyd

privet01 said:

I get to this screen through the [settings] [map & vehicle] [myMaps]. The screen says "Update Maps", However I'm used to other Garmin devices where a similar screen is used to enable/disable installed maps. What really is the function of this screen,

You are missing something basic here. That screen is no different from any other Garmin device, it allows you to enable/disable maps. "Update Maps" is not the title of the screen, it's actually a button that you can press. The DriveSmart 61 is wifi-enabled, so when you push that button it will do a live update of the maps if you have configured things properly and are connected to a wifi network.

Personally, I find it all pretty worthless and don't use the wifi features. It is slow wifi and my computers are connected to my fast FIOS network either through gigabit ethernet or fast 802.11AC wifi.

As for the Foursquare and Parkopedia maps, I don't use those either and have them disabled. More annoying, worthless features IMO. ;)

BTW, the image link in your post doesn't work. You must post links to actual image files (that end with extensions like .jpg or .png). You linked to some code that displays an image, so that doesn't work.

privet01

A button..... I'd have never thunk it. However in the past I've told others they need to touch everything on their Garmin screens to find out if Garmin put some function behind it.

I've never used the wifi on this either. Right after purchased it, I tried to connect to the wifi's in my home, but it never would see them although it saw all my neighbors wifi's. It does see them now. Whether that is because of changes I made in my wifi or a subsequent firmware update, I don't know. Maybe one day I will play with it, but I find wifi congestion in my neighborhood to be a real thing. Garmin's update download doesn't seem very tolerant of network congestion of any sort especially on my wifi. Garmin Express with a wired Ethernet connection works much more reliably and much quicker.

As for my question 2) in the OP...... It seems that having these maps unchecked does not keep the device from giving multiple alerts that are virtually the same type. IE. I'll get two or three alerts about an upcoming exit from the interstate one right after the other with virtually no pause between them. Then I'll get two or three alerts about which way to turn while on the exit. The verbiage is slightly different, so I was hoping that maybe it was tags in the different map DB's. Apparently not as they are still being voiced even though the extra map db's are unchecked. This is not something that happens all the time though. I suppose I need to be attentive to if it's always the same exits.

As for the pic, I was in a hurry and I forgot how I got around that last time I had to post an image..... or maybe I didn't fix it the last time either?. This is the only forum I have trouble with google photo sharing.

Boyd

I never saw anything like those problems on either my DriveSmart 61 or DriveTrack 71, and don't see how the parking or foursquare maps could cause it. Sounds more like the kind of problem you might get with multiple conflicting copies of City Navigator or Junction View files.

Then it might also just be something strange about the map data where you live. Do you see this across a large geographic area, or just near home? Does it also happen in similation mode?

Regarding photos, it may very well be that other sites know how to display a photo from that kind of link. But you need to find a way to link to the actual image file to make it work here.

privet01

I've experienced the multiple cues from Colorado to Georgia and every state between. As I said it doesn't happen with every exit, nor have I determined if the same exits always exhibit this.

It's funny though how many times and different ways my device can tell me to turn left or right while going down an interstate exit that is less than a 1000 feet long. It's not a biggee for me though, I have my device muted for many of my trips. It's just something I puzzle about sometimes.

I've generally only use Basecamp for very simple looks at log data on my devices. Will it show the turn cues and info about them?

Boyd

AFAIK, the only way to see that is in simulation mode on the device itself. But another idea.... have you tried doing a hard reset of the DriveSmart? That also sounds like the kind of weirdness that a reset can "cure".

privet01

Hard reset..... touch and hold right corner of screen when copyright notice appears during boot? No I've never done that. Unless deleting user data is just a choice and it actually does the reset of everything else.

I suppose I can save off the saved places to basecamp and then put them back. Those are really the only things I don't want to loose.

Boyd

Well then, I would definitely try that.... I'll give you odds it will fix things. ;;)

Yes, it does delete your saved places, but they may actually come back all by themselves. Before resetting, see what .gpx files are stored on the device. Any locations in those files will be automatically re-imported when the device restarts after the reset. So, if you sent data to the unit from Basecamp in the past, there will be a file named Temp.gpx. All the data from that file will be re-imported.

This may or may not be what you want. For example, if the GPS only has data that you originally sent from Basecamp, then it will all be restored. But if you created new waypoints on the device itself, and never copied them back to Basecamp, then those would be lost.

To make things exactly the same, you can just copy Current.gpx to your computer BEFORE resestting, and also delete ALL .gpx files from the device before the reset. You can then re-name Current.gpx to Temp.gpx and copy it back to the unit. That will cause all the data you backed up to be restored when the device restarts.