Latest Teleatlas/TomTom Maps for Europe

Hi all.
I'm hoping someone will be able to clarify things for me, regarding the releases of Teleatlas/TomTom maps for iGo Primo 2.

I'm running iGo Primo 2 (version 9.6.5.211211 - downloaded from Yurbuh Tuggly's posts on this forum) on a Chinese 2DIN multi-media / Navi unit (an Erisin ES1058V), and it's working fine, now that I've figured out not to use the large 'Exit Navigation' button that appears once you complete a planned route. Instead, I just hit the back button to return to the map display!

My question now is to do with map versions. At present I'm using Teleatlas/TomTom maps with the following name attributes;
Italy_R3_TomTom_2011.12_111230'.
Some of the other country files end with '120102'.
There are .fbl and .ftr files for all countries. This map-set was downloaded from this forum thread: http://www.navitotal.com/showthread.php?9431-iGo-Primo-Teleatlas-(now-TomTom-Maps)-Europe-Q4-2011-Maps-(released-2012)-Torrent

Several questions really;
1). What is the significance of the 6 digit number at the end of the map file names?
2). What is the difference between 'R3' & '83'?
3). What is the latest release of TomTom Maps for the whole of Europe?
4). How often are updated map-sets released?

I also have a second microSD Card with the exact same iGo-Primo 2 program, but with Navteq maps for Europe installed. These are named;
'Italy_R3_NQ_2012.Q1_120618' with other maps ending;
'120522' & '120530'.

From reading on this forum, there seems to be a consensus that Teleatlas/TomTom maps are generally more reliable for Europe, while the NavTeq maps are better for the US and elsewhere in the world. Is this correct?

Also where can I find '.hsp' (histspeed files) for the whole of Europe? All I have been able to find is a single file;
'United_Kingdom_83_NQ_50_2012.Q1_100702.hsp'.
Obviously this is only for the UK and I presume will work only with NavTeq maps. But will it work with 'R3' map-sets?
So where can I find histspeed files for 'R3' Teleatlas/TomTom map-sets?

Any clarification as to the meaning of all these numbers would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Jonathan.

jontyrp wrote:1). What is the significance of the 6 digit number at the end of the map file names?
2). What is the difference between 'R3' & '83'?
3). What is the latest release of TomTom Maps for the whole of Europe?
4). How often are updated map-sets released?

[color="#FF0000"]1)[/color] When Navteq or TomTom/Teleatlas release maps, they usually append the file name with the date of the release. Year-Month-Day...each two digits.
So 120618 = June 18, 2012.
This is assuming that nobody has monkeyed or is playing games with the file names since the file name can actually be (anything).fbl...MyItalyMapFromYesterday.fbl.
The real way to determine the file date is to read inside the file ...in iGo or Primo, Help>About>Content. There are also stand-alone utilities to do this for Windows and/or other operating systems.

[color="#0000CD"]2)[/color] "R3" indicates Release 3 of iGo...as in iGo 8.3x. Mapping standards changed with iGo 8.3 to include new features, etc. All "R3" maps are usable by any iGo software (iGo, Amigo, Primo) from version 8.3 forward. New maps will not work with older iGo software (iGo 2006, iGo 8.0, etc).
"83" means the same thing...version 8.3 or higher.

[color="#006400"]3)[/color] That is up for debate at the moment.

[color="#800080"]4)[/color] Mapsets are generally updated several times per year by Quarter...Navteq Q1 2012, Q2 2012, and so on. But this is not a hard rule. Sometimes Quarters are skipped or delayed until the following year.

Thanks Yurbuh,
That helps me to understand what to look for, when looking for updated Map-Sets.

When you say that the latest Map-Set version for Europe is 'Up for discussion', what is the issue? Have there been any TomTom Map-Sets released this year? We are now well into Q3 of 2012 yet I can't find any Map-Sets later than the ones I've already got.

Jonathan.
PS.
Yurbuh, you didn't answer my questions regarding HistSpeed files for TomTom map-sets. Where can I find the appropriate .hst files for the TomTom Map-Set that I now have?
Thanks,
Jonathan.

jontyrp wrote:When you say that the latest Map-Set version for Europe is 'Up for discussion', what is the issue? Have there been any TomTom Map-Sets released this year? [color="#FF0000"]We are now well into Q3 of 2012[/color] yet I can't find any Map-Sets later than the ones I've already got.

There has been a set of TomTom/Teleatlas maps 'released' a few weeks ago. But not here.
Why?
Because upon closer examination, only a very few 'minor' maps are actually any newer than what is already available here. Whether this is actual deception on the part of uploaders, or just a misunderstanding is unknown, but a waste of time for most to bother downloading.
[color="#FF0000"]It seems like Q2 may be one that is skipped as stated above.[/color] Maybe not enough changes to justify a new full release set...or so much construction going on that they would be already outdated. Look for newer map sets probably in October/November...or maybe as late as next January. That's my guess.

jontyrp wrote:you didn't answer my questions regarding HistSpeed files for TomTom map-sets

Because I don't know.
I go against the grain and use Navteq maps for Europe because I like the extra features available, and see little or no differences between map accuracy with Navteq vs TomTom. But that's just me. Others may argue differently.

Thanks Yurbuh,
I've been using the Navteq maps myself and thought I would give the TomTom ones a go, to see if I could discern any differences. Will report back here what I find out with my testing.
Jonathan.

Both mapsets have their good and bad points...just slightly different.
Somebody recently did a direct 'live' comparison with Navteq on one device and TomTom on another (sorry, can't find the thread at the moment)..one being a smartphone with Primo Android (which should make absolutely no difference with the maps..they are exactly the same), and one a stand-alone GPS.
He kinda found the same as me...no big dif, with a slight leaning toward Navteq. But another perspective from you would be nice to see also.
A lot of it may depend on the specific area you are in. And many people have anecdotal 'evidence' on why they prefer one over the other. To each his own, I say.

And by the way, though up to date maps can be important, it's not something to get obsessive about..anything from within the current calendar year is fine. New ones will eventually come, but there will likely be nothing revolutionary about them. ;)

I tried Navteq and TomTom at various times over the years and found TomTom to be best for UK. I say this purely as I found TomTom to have more speed limits in and around towns and cities. Navteq fbl files are alot smaller in Mb size than TomTom and whilst most say that the difference in size is purely because the files are compressed different ways, some do say that the difference in file size is because TomTom maps hold more data

Adding my 2cts.



Navteq isn't bad, and the Swedes prefer it above TT/TA so ... In my experience, most Europeans prefer TA/TT.

My personal experience is that TT/TA is better for my purposes. More and accurate house numbers than NT (which uses or used "blocks of house numbers"), industrial terrains are covered on the map and as far as I can tell complete (in which NT did let me down a few times - that is every time and completely), etc. However, this may be dependable on the map and region, I suppose.
And I must admit the last time I compared them was a few years ago. In routing, it doesn't make any difference. Or not much. But finding the destination, ... well, might be the decisive factor.