NAVTEQ Provides Website for In-Car Nav System Updates

In a press release I confess I missed last week, NAVTEQ launched a website to help users of in-car navigation systems get data updates.

The strangely named “Sat Nav Challenge” website is meant to challenge “satellite navigation users to discover whether a map update exists for either their fixed or portable navigation systems. ” The site is aimed at European users. Visitors key in their type of nav system and an e-mail address. The site responds if data is available, and if not teh user can request notification when it will be. If another resource (like a car dealer) is the right place to find new data, the system will share that, too.

Based on comments we’ve received on articles about nav systems and data challenges at Directions Magazine, such a site is long overdue! I’d think long and hard about purchasing a system that does not offer an easy (not a challenging!) way to get udpated data.