OpenStreetMap

Known issues

Links of interest:

GPS Garmin Forum

You'll find all kind of information regarding Garmin GPS/Navigators, speed cameras, maps, etc. In Spanish.

OpenStreetMap mailing lists

Here you can read sent messages or subscribe to the list for any question about OpenStreetMap

The map generation process is done with mkgmap, a software still under development, so there are still a number of problems affecting the maps. They have the advantage that data on them is most probably more up to date than commercial ones, although in some areas coberage is lower. Another great advantage is that anyone can complete or correct missing or wrong data. Below there is a list of known issues regarding the use of the maps.

• Streets search: in order to find a given street using "Search by address" option of the GPS it is necessary to type the name of the street exactly as it is on the map, e.g. "Calle de los Derechos Humanos" (Human Rights Street). It may be a problem if you don't know how is the name of a street in the map: it may be Calle Derechos Humanos, C/ de los Derechos Humanos, etc.
  There is another way to search for streets that may be faster, consisting on using "Spelling" or "POI" menus (depending on device model): enter part of the name of the street and a list of all streets with such name will be displayed, followed by the city in which they are; you'll just have to choose the one you are looking for. Following the previous example, typing "Derechos" or "Humanos" will be enough to get the list.
  

• Roundabouts exit number: if a way entering a roundabout shares a node with an exiting way, that exit is not taken into account for the "Take exit # to the right" instruction, although on screen it is correctly displayed. In fact, it is caused by errors in the data used to generate the map, and must be fixed on OpenStreetMap data.

  

• Route calculation on Mapsource: if start and end points of a route are separated more than two tiles (each one of the parts the map is divided on) calculation fails, showing an straight line. To avoid this, it's necessary to enter intermediate points in each one of the tiles the route goes through.

• Topographic maps on Mapsource: contour lines behavior in MapSource is quite variable, some times they are displayed and some times they are not, without a known motive, just showing the number that indicates the height but not the line. However, although they are not seen, they are there and can be used, for example, to calculate a route profile (Edit menu->Route Properties->Show Profile...). The problem above should be fixed as of 27/01/12. If you find it is not, leave your comment at the end of the page.