GARMAP AFRICA SERIES 2009

The Garmap Africa 2009 update for Garmin GPS devices, long awaited since August 2008, is shortly to be released (end January 2009). While the delay of 5 months might have some feeling Garmin were being delinquent, it must be understood that AVNIC Trading (Garmin SA ) were not prepared to release a product that did not meet their standards. The problems appeared to be in the routing data and the website which would not support the new release.

As before the base data was supplied by Teleatlas Africa, who in my opinion provide the best navigation datasets in Africa to which Garmap add their own fine adjustments making it unique with added value for Garmin devices.

I believe that the initial media release informing the dealers and public of this new upgrade did not do the product and people involved justice. There were a few mistakes and a few errors in the media release. (as a learner surveyor at the Pretoria Technikon 30 years ago, a lecturer drummed into our heads difference between an error and a mistake.  A mistake can be fixed, an error was unforgiveable.)

Previously we received yearly updates somewhere between March and May. The CD or DVD costing anything between R50 and R100 and the license fee anything between R350 and R650. The midyear update or upgrade CD or DVD was between R50 and R100 but the license fee was then free. Obviously this changed if you had not regularly updated your maps.

I have not been able to test the new update so this review is not based on first hand experience but rather on the interviews with the people concerned.

The new street map release will be approximately 170Mb, which is a 19Mb improvement covering 940 000 km of road network and 1700 towns and cities in Southern Africa (Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa). The towns and cities remain unchanged with the improvements being made within these towns and cities boundaries. The Points of Interest (POI) have increased from 150 000 to more than 190 000. To all who have been submitting POI’s must go a vote of thanks for their contribution for making this dataset one of the best available for Southern Africa. I believe the next update, which is expected within the next six to eight months, should include Angola,. The community’s commitment in assisting as with this latest update is one of the reasons for it being as good as it is. The new update includes :

  • 14 000 additional POI’s in Zimbabwe, very like in the other states
  • 30 000 additional POI’s in South Africa
    • 7000 in Gauteng
    • 14 000 in the Wetsern Cape
    • 2000 in the Northern Cape
    • Commericial / Business POI’s have increased by 25%
    • Accomodation has increased by 25% the majority been B&B’s
    • Service Stations increased by 30%
    • Residential 40%
    • Resturants by 20%
    • Governemnt 15%
    • Services by 10%

POI’s have  increased approximately by 18%.
The following Garmap products remain unchanged :

  • East Africa which remains unchanged since launch about three years ago.
  • Mauritius
  • Topo & Rec, not that many contours change.
  • DEM (Digital Elevation Model) the restriction on the improvement  at present is on the limitations of the production tool and not that the data is not available but the improved capability should be available shortly.
  • The 55 Game Reserves or Nature reserves data remains unchanged

The Garmap Waterways  have been increased from only three dams to thirteen dams within South Africa, a major improvement that should keep the fishermen happy. They are :

  •  Flag Boshielo Dam (new)
  • Blyderivierspoort Dam (new)
  • Bronkhorstspruit Dam
  • Heyshope Dam (new)
  • Jericho Dam (new)
  • Kwena Dam (new)
  • Loskop Dam (new)
  • Middelburg Dam (new)
  • Morgenstand Dam (new)
  • Pongolapoort Dam
  • Roodeplaat Dam (new)
  • Steenbras Dam (new)
  • Vaaldam

Garmap Nigeria has also had some improvements. The dataset now includes five towns and cities, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Warri, and Abuja. The previous dataset had only two towns/cities. A new feature will be 100m contours that have now been added. The map includes more than 135 000km of road network with more than 8000 POI’s.

A new feature on the Garmap program is that the program will now operate on Windows 2000 onward and Apple Mac OSX 10.4.11 and onward, operating systems. This is a feature which many Garmin users have been long awaiting. The beta versions for Apple Mac have been available but were not very stable and not recommended.

Part of the upgrade has been the Garmap Website and this is where you will see major improvements. Maps will be able to be viewed before purchasing on the website. A limited number of maps will be available for purchase off of the website. The POI’s (Speed Cameras, Hazard areas and Tollgates) will now be downloadable free “at a single click of the switch”. This will be a major improvement as a lot of us have found that in the past this download was not easy.

I have left the best part for last: THE COSTS

  • The upgrade DVD will cost R9.95 which is a large price reduction when compared to the R100 at the last upgrade DVD (March 2008)
  • Anyone who has bought a March 2008 Street map and or a Topo & Rec map set (upgrade or part of a GPS purchase) after its launch about the end April 2008 is entitled to a free upgrade license fee.
  • If you received a free March 2008 update because you purchased your GPS prior to the launch at the end of April 2008 you are not entitled to the free license fee but will have to pay the upgrade fee of R9.95 (DVD) and R349 for the Street Maps. If your maps are older than this there is a price table that can be referred to.
  • The general price for any of the other products new are :
    • East Africa R 899
    • Nigeria R 1199
    • Mauritius R 499

These prices are excellent when comparing to any of the other GPS device’s upgrades. The other devices upgrades prices all closely match a new map set price or a new device price. As I have said before “local is lekker”. So let us support our local Garmin who are rated one of the best if not the best Garmin map produces in the world.

I have recently received complaints concerning Garmin device prices. Yes, they did increase in November 2008, some were only increased by a fraction and others by as much as 20%. It must be remembered that this was the first Garmin general increase (not individual devices) in nearly 18 months. We must also remember that AVNIC Trading are on record as reducing prices when the rand exchange rate improves. If memory serves me correctly, Garmin had 5 price reductions in a row before this last price increase.

Lastly.
Recently my attention was drawn  to an article in a few Afrikaans newspapers regarding “Dowwe Dolla” recording voice for new Garmin devices. AVNIC Tradings comments  that this is not part of their Garmap production and that the recording of voices is not in their hands.

Out of the mouths of babes (true story:
Driving into the covered parking at Sandton City with Mom, the GPS announces “LOST SATELLITE RECEPTION”.
The 5year old response in the back was “THAT’S OK WE DON’T NEED SATELLITE CONCEPTION IN THE BUILDING”

Happy GPS Adventures