[Electronics-talk] GPS in the Big City

Wed Apr 10 20:12:44 UTC 2013

Whether a dedicated device is more accurate than a multipurpose device 
is entirely dependent on the technology being used. Like I said, a 
dedicated GPS device might not include triangulation of cellular towers 
and wifi hotspots, which you can get with devices that include wifi and 
cellular radios. I think it's a big mistake to assume that just because 
a device can perform multiple functions it's somehow inferior to a 
dedicated device. That's not to say the dedicated devices can't be 
superior, but I just think it's a mistake to jump to a conclusion one 
way or the other.

Note that this thread was also just talking about accuracy. It didn't 
discuss usability, where a dedicated device could have a big advantage. 
It also didn't discuss whether using GPS devices was safe or a good idea 
or not.

On 04/10/2013 02:50 PM, Gerald Levy wrote:
>
> There is simply no way a one-device-does-it-all gadget like the IPhone
> could possibly be as reliable as a dedicated GPS device like the Trekker
> Breeze. A few years ago,someone (Lynn Tatum, I think) produced a podcast
> demonstrating the Trekker Breeze as she walked the streets of midtown
> Manhattan.  The unit did not always announce the correct streets or
> building addresses, a problem attributable to the multitude of tall
> buildings in the area.  Besides, walking around in a noisy urban
> environment with an IPhone glued to your ear while trying to listen for
> traffic and other important auditory clues is a recipe for trouble.
> Distracted walking for a blind person is just as dangerous as distracted
> driving is for a sighted person.
>
> Gerald
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Chaltain"
> <chaltain at gmail.com>
> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 2:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] GPS in the Big City
>
>
>> I haven't listened to this podcast, but I don't think your conclusion
>> follows from this one data point. Was this using the Maps app from
>> Apple? If so, it had some well reported map issues when it was first
>> released. Was wifi enabled during this test? It's true that tall
>> buildings will block satellite signals, but it isn't clear from what
>> you say below that this is why there were accuracy problems in Acron.
>> Also, using cell tower and wifi hotspot triangulation will improve GPS
>> accuracy, and I would expect New York City has quite a few cell towers
>> and documented wifi hot spots, so this accuracy could be improved
>> quite a bit.
>>
>> On 04/10/2013 01:35 PM, Gerald Levy wrote:
>>>
>>> Not true at all.  Last year, Rick Harmon from Blind Geek Zone produced a
>>> podcast demonstrating the GPS app for the IPhone 4 in his home town of
>>> Akron, Ohio.  Needless to say, it was not very accurate and often
>>> announced incorrect street names and landmarks, even though Akron is not
>>> a particularly dense urban area like midtown Manhattan.  So it would
>>> stand to reason that the GPS app for the IPhone would not work well in a
>>> major city with a lot of tall buildings that could block the direct line
>>> of sight to the orbiting GPS satellites.
>>>
>>> Gerald
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Chaltain"
>>> <chaltain at gmail.com>
>>> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 11:56 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] GPS in the Big City
>>>
>>>
>>>> I'm not sure about the BrailleNote running Sendero, but iPhone/Android
>>>> running a GPS app will also use cell tower and wifi hotspot
>>>> triangulation to improve location reliability. I would think this
>>>> would help quite a bit in a large metropolitan area, but I can't speak
>>>> from experience.
>>>>
>>>> On 04/10/2013 10:49 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
>>>>> I work in midtown Manhattan.  I have Sendero GPS, running on a
>>>>> Braillenote PK.  I find it pretty unreliable in New York City,
>>>>> probably
>>>>> because of the many tall buildings.  It frequently says I'm 2 blocks
>>>>> away from where I know I am, and heading in a different direction than
>>>>> I'm heading.  My question is, does this happen with all GPS in big
>>>>> cities, or is it because the GPS is running on a PK, not the most
>>>>> powerful system in the world?  Would, say, IPhone GPS be more reliable
>>>>> in the big city?
>>>>> I am only interested in the big city aspect.  At home, in north
>>>>> Jersey,
>>>>> the Sendero and PK work reasonably well.
>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>> Tracy
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Christopher (CJ)
>>>> chaltain at Gmail
>>>>
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>>
>> --
>> Christopher (CJ)
>> chaltain at Gmail
>>
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-- 
Christopher (CJ)
chaltain at Gmail