Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Wed 12/01/2004 View Tue 11/30/2004 View Mon 11/29/2004 View Sun 11/28/2004 View Sat 11/27/2004 View Fri 11/26/2004 View Thu 11/25/2004
1
2004-12-01 Europe
French motorway crash after GPS orders U-turn
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by Seafarious 2004-12-01 11:06:10 PM|| || Front Page|| [11135 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 This goes here because seems i cant comment yesterdays posts. This is a correction to the veichle i refered in that Mr Don Sensing request upon looking at it is a M-109 from German Army and not a PZH2000
Posted by anon2 2004-12-01 12:06:28 AM||   2004-12-01 12:06:28 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 What kind of idiots are the French? A kerry supporter no doubt.
Posted by Floting Granter5198 2004-12-01 12:20:41 AM||   2004-12-01 12:20:41 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Sounds like something the numerous dumbass motorists on the road here in Silicon Valley would do.
Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-01 12:32:16 AM||   2004-12-01 12:32:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Hmmmm, I wonder if his vehicle is also equipped with "BlondStar".
Posted by GK 2004-12-01 1:22:23 AM||   2004-12-01 1:22:23 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 In the late nineties I read about a guy, in Germany I think, who followed a line on his GPS, thinking it was a road. It turned out to be a pier and he ended up in the water.

I don't think it could have been a talking GPS at that early stage of its introduction to the public. If it had been, it would have said, "Get out of there, you idiot, you'll end up in the harbour."
Posted by Bryan 2004-12-01 1:56:38 AM||   2004-12-01 1:56:38 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 It is obvious the machines are probing us before they rise!
Posted by John Connor 2004-12-01 2:41:44 AM||   2004-12-01 2:41:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 They are finding us wanting. We need you John!!!
Posted by Ol_Dirty_American 2004-12-01 5:09:46 AM||   2004-12-01 5:09:46 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Now I'm starting to wonder if I did the wrong thing when my car navigation system told me to empty my savings account. Hmmm.

I thought that request for small, nonsequential, unmarked bills was a bit suspicious at the time.
Posted by PlanetDan  2004-12-01 6:25:00 AM||   2004-12-01 6:25:00 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 Mine wants to call itself Hal.
Posted by Deacon Blues 2004-12-01 7:16:26 AM||   2004-12-01 7:16:26 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 What's wrong with France bashing posts?
Posted by Mrs. Davis 2004-12-01 7:21:24 AM||   2004-12-01 7:21:24 AM|| Front Page Top

#11 i live in constant fear of my blender
Posted by half 2004-12-01 8:15:18 AM||   2004-12-01 8:15:18 AM|| Front Page Top

#12 Maximum Overdrive, man. It's coming.
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2004-12-01 9:17:00 AM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2004-12-01 9:17:00 AM|| Front Page Top

#13 Just as long as they don't start telling us to send money to Nigeria.

PS. half, you're not supposed to stick your...
Posted by Spot  2004-12-01 9:18:48 AM||   2004-12-01 9:18:48 AM|| Front Page Top

#14 Ha, a post I can really get into. See I was a digital mapper at ETAK a digital map company that was one of the providers of the maps used by Sony and Bosch for their GPS systems. ETAK was owned by Fox for awhile, then Sony, now they've been bought up by TeleAtlas out of Europe somewhere.

The story about the BMW driver going off a pier is true by the way. Maps in the US add fake streets so that you can tell if another company stole your map, usually these are cul-de-sacs so they are harmless but Thomas Brothers sometimes connected roads that should not have been connected (probably what happened with the pier incident) a habit that I've heard really gets to UPS and others who once depended on Thomas Brothers to route their trucks. Every road is double-checked by aerial photos and ground teams. Someone screwed up on the pier one and everyone in the industry heard about it and hoped it wasn't one of their maps.

The system used by the Germans were always talking systems, the Japanese had a visual system. Bosch has used talking navigators for some time and one of the keys to making their maps was to trick the software to get the right vocal choice (Half right vs turn right when the driver might see a Y-intersection).

Some systems would split the lanes on a split carriageway with each side provided with one-way symbols, others prefered a single highway that would allow u-turns. I'm sure that's what happened in this incident. The system probably said to turn left but there was nowhere to turn so the person continued (or they didn't hear it). Then they passed the left turn so the system told them to uturn to get back to the turn they had missed. A manuever that would be no big deal on a surface street.

In all cases it was assumed the driver was intelligent enough to drive. We hadn't considered the French.

Okay - mapping stories. We had teams drive every road and confirm addresses and no-left turn signs and such. At they time they drew on very basic subsets of our map called plots. We got intersting notes on the plots. Crack house, was indicated. Man flashed gun, won't return for addresses was another. Big dog and crappy food were others.

We had a team of Hasidic Jews working out of NY and they were arrested because someone saw them studying the roads going into the Lincoln Tunnel and reported suspicious middle eastern guys drawing a map. This was before Sept 11 but after the first Trade Center bombing.

After the OK City bombing our people who called to confirm addresses started getting a lot less cooperation from stores when they called.

Damn it was fun working there, I just wish they made money. Sorry to babble down memory lane.
Posted by rjschwarz  2004-12-01 11:29:52 AM|| [http://rjschwarz.typepad.com]  2004-12-01 11:29:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#15 Did anyone else think Kelly's Heroes when they mentioned the city of Nancy?
Posted by rjschwarz  2004-12-01 11:30:44 AM|| [http://rjschwarz.typepad.com]  2004-12-01 11:30:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#16 "Kelly's Heroes" was an all-time classic! Love that flick!
Posted by Crusader 2004-12-01 3:51:34 PM||   2004-12-01 3:51:34 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 See I was a digital mapper at ETAK a digital map company that was one of the providers of the maps used by Sony and Bosch for their GPS systems.

Heh, I almost became one myself; I took the test at Etak's headquarters over ten years ago and was asked to come back again (for another round of tests?) but I ended up getting offered another job by some other company for more money. A shame - I would have loved to get into cartographical work.

(also, Garmin's Metroguide USA uses Etak maps)
Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-01 9:53:35 PM||   2004-12-01 9:53:35 PM|| Front Page Top

18:18 Zhang Fei
18:18 Zhang Fei
18:18 Zhang Fei
18:18 Zhang Fei
23:58 Conanista
23:52 JosephMendiola
23:30 Conanista
22:58 Frank G
22:55 Frank G
22:53 Frank G
22:53 AzCat
22:50 phil_b
22:45 Conanista
22:39 phil_b
22:33 Mike Sylwester
22:30 Justrand
22:27 Frank G
22:25 Frank G
22:23 Frank G
22:17 Dishman
22:17 Hillary Clinton
21:54 eLarson
21:53 Bomb-a-rama
21:52 Alaska Paul









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com