NAVTEQ: End User Data Corrections May Take a Year or More

WRAL got a call from a dentist in North Carolina whose patients couldn’t find his office because his street is not on GPS devices or Internet maps. Here’s the response from NAVTEQ.

NAVTEQ spokeswoman Kelly Smith told WRAL that Pine State Street isn’t listed in the U.S. Postal Service database. That’s where they get the bulk of the information they provide to mapping companies.

Smith said they get about 80,000 requests a day for corrections or additions, so it takes time for new information to get to the public - perhaps a year or more. But she offered to try to “escalate” Godwin’s request.

With all the articles about NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas vans in the media I suspect most consumers assume that’s where the bulk of the data is collected. And, I suspect consumers also think that it’s a simple (and quick) matter to update a street they note is missing. This is a nice reality check!