[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Most undependable - happy to send you a digest of misakes in Eicher. Rely on it at your peril.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Lesson is that don't depend on one source - check out 1-2 maps, both physical and online, and ask around a bit.

So folks, as the proverb says "have heard from the horses mouth", hvkumar has laid to rest all the perceptions about the hard-copy/online maps available in India.

I knew it. In India, nothing can come close to HVK

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Kumar I agree that the names of the small towns are often hopelessly wrong (I saw a few myself). But it gives you more than an approximate idea. And the management is very candid in their foreword, accepting that there are various faults that they themselves are not aware of and seek suggestions from the actual road users.
I also like the easy to handle format (as against the format of TTK maps) of the Eicher map.
If I was planning a long trip I would use the map for planning and then take Kumar's advice, make a few posts here, read Kumar's logs and then go. It will always be a combination.
By most dependable I didn't really mean faultless. I think I should call it the best compromise map for trip plannin.

[hvkumar]

Automotive navigation system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Misdirection
A number of road accidents have been attributed to misdirection by satnav systems. On May 11, 2007, a driver followed satnav instructions in the dark and her car was hit by a train on a rail crossing that was not shown on the system. In Exton, Hampshire, the County Council erected a sign warning drivers to ignore their "sat nav" system and to take another route, because the street was too narrow for vehicular traffic, and property damage resulted from vehicles getting stuck.

[mjothi]

So, conclusion is?
Best way is to follow the simple conventional steps. ASK.

1. Identify a traffic less spot.
2. Get your car parked in the side.
3. Get down from the car.
4. Ask the localites

[hvkumar]

Conclusion is: Take Care, don't rely on one device blindly. Corraborate. Recheck.
I have no quarrel wih online maps. Use a Garmin GPS myself (with simple pre-loaded free maps), when I transfer my driving route data to Google Map, one can see considerable inaccuracies in both - the GPS coordinates depend on strength of satellite signals, and one can see significant variations from the actual route.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/875108-post1.html
Let me reproduce also something good about the Sat Nav maps, a post from Ramkya1 who says:
"......the roads were so wet and slippery on the twisties, I had to be extra careful...... Here again the GPS was a life saver, the satguide mapping was pretty accurate up to Manarkad, from there it went out of whack. I could see all the twisties coming up clearly on the map and also road junctions so I could moderate the speed and be forewarned. On a foggy, rainy and where visibility is low kind of day, the GPS pays off, of course, there are great many other uses too."

[hrag]

I have found IMS to be better than TTK as far as state road atlases are concerned.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by hrag

I have found IMS to be better than TTK as far as state road atlases are concerned.

I agree, I prefer to buy IMS maps. Please also check out their State district-wise maps, they are very useful. You can also try out N C Kansilal, they are also quite good.

[Captdey]

I found one more , which nobody mentioed , Maptell - India Maps, India Free Map, India GIS, India GIS Data, Vehicle Tracking
good indian road map. ususally When I am in Appraisal stage of
Travel Planning alongwith the Map , I also look into satelite pictures
on google earth or wikimapia , which gives you and an advance look into the
areas where you will be driving thru , also the minute details
marking such as Dhabas, small hotels etc. you can amaze locals with
your recently aquired local knowledge on Wikimapia.

Cheers

[sudheermenon]

You can use Distance between cities,Shortest path finder
You can find out the shortest distance between two cities anywhere in India. But as everyone said, dont depend entirely on it. Use some alternative maps and ofcourse wikimapia.org as well.

[watashi75]

I have found the Eicher roadmaps to be quite reliable, but then my trips so far have been limited to South India. One feature I liked is that it mentions the distance of each road segment, which is very useful while planning trips.

I too make it a point to look at the satellite views in google or wikimapia beforehand, especially if there are crossings on the way. However google satellite views are mostly outdated, especially in urban areas.

For unplanned trips I use google map with bluetooth GPS receiver on my mobile and plain old compass for orientation. I have a Satguide GPS too but it takes a lot of time to set up.

[faustus77]

hi everybody
just stumbled on website www.getamap.net while looking for Sela pass
It has current temperatures which seem to be ok
also an option Traffic On (do not understand what it means.somebody please guide)
Noticed certain road sections are dark(like being tarred),some light grey and some are beige in color like not being surfaced.
Has any member of TBHP checked this site and how accurate it is.
thnks
rgrds
Moderators if this is not the correct place please move this query to the proper one.Thanks