Maps Update Rollout, December 2023

[pavel.samokha]

Hello Vertical and Race users,

We will be rolling out Maps updates starting from today.

The initial batch includes Finland, Germany and Spain. If everything goes well then other countries will follow, probably in alphabetical order.
Rolled out to the whole planet

Release notes:

• Updated to the latest OpenStreetMap data
• Paths and trails are now visible at 500m zoom level
• Fixed maps near the region borders (“grey maps” issue)

Known issues*:

• Elevation contours available only at zoom levels 25-200m.

So now those of you who have any offline map for Finland, Spain or Germany downloaded should see in Suunto App maps library information that there is an update for this map. See attached screenshot.

When you put your watch on charger in the known WiFi network range map update download will start automatically.

*Known issue means the problem is acknowledged and under investigation, so e.g. elevation contour lines probably will be at all zoom levels in the next release

[Mff73]

@pavel-samokha
Thanks, good news.

@pavel-samokha said in Maps Update Rollout, December 2023:

then other countries will follow, probably in alphabetical order.

if i am planning to travel to Zimbabwe, when could i expect the update, please ?
🥳 (no real answer expected).

[Ivan De Rasis]

@pavel-samokha Grazie

[babychai]

hmmm… so i have to sacrifice my existing contours line 500 m zoom level if i want the updated latest OSM data

[GiPFELKiND]

@pavel-samokha Wow thanx a lot for this great Job ️

[Mff73]

Maybe not so alphabetical order

[Egika]

@Mff73 Germany, Spain, Finland first. That’s the information. Then probably alphabetical.

[SuperFlo75]

@pavel-samokha That is great news, I‘m just downloading… but it‘s very big data for me as a german boy

[Mff73]

@Egika
Yes, they are is Espania, or in Espagne, or… In Spain for SA

[Tieutieu]

@pavel-samokha thanks for this good news !
My understanding is that it is a ponctual update of maps ? Do you know what will be the frequency of updates, if decided already ?
(OSM database is updated all the time.)
Thanks !

[SuperFlo75]

Update done… as i said yesterday, it‘s very big data for my german maps… I will test this weekend and next week… thanks to Suunto developement!

[pavel.samokha]

@Tieutieu I can’t say anything on the frequency yet, we will see after this update

[Mff73]

@Tieutieu said in Maps Update Rollout, December 2023:

@pavel-samokha thanks for this good news !
My understanding is that it is a ponctual update of maps ? Do you know what will be the frequency of updates, if decided already ?
(OSM database is updated all the time.)
Thanks !

I am also updating OSM from time to time and i would also like to see the updates as soon as possible.
But, even if i am not an expert, computing a “map” from OSM data seems not so a light task.
Browsing online is one thing, but having offline map is another.
I am using a LOT, openandromaps, and, just for the sake of information, they are “only” updated monthly, while some other commercial offline maps are updated less frequently.
I imagine also that Suunto need to find the exact proper mechanisms, and balance, between too many updates and too few.

But, hey, it is just new (maps, and updates of maps), let see the future of this.
I am waiting for some french tiles to show update to see my changes

[Tieutieu]

@pavel-samokha said in Maps Update Rollout, December 2023:

@Tieutieu I can’t say anything on the frequency yet, we will see after this update

Thanks ! Of course like @Mff73 noticed, it is completely understood that with actual technologies we can’t have « optimized » maps in our watches (that one of the points where suunto is very high ahead other brands) and very frequent updates.
3 to 4 times a year would be very good.
And even twice a year would still be great, because the updates we talk about are mainly the ones we contribute to, so mostly close to our places. Once they are done, they won’t change all the time !
For places we visit and we don’t know, we won’t probably notice most of time what is missing.

(The greatest in the “far future” would be to stil have map updates even after end of SR and SV internal firmware updates. But, it’s not time for that yet ! )

[martin]

@Mff73 there’s a wrong translation of the word “free”, which should be translated to “libre(s)” instead of “gratuit(s)” (which meaning is “for free”), have you already reported it ?

[Olaf Gottschalk]

@pavel-samokha this is maybe the right post to ask why downloading a few MB could take hours and why the progress is not really clear. When I first got my Race, I was shocked how long a small amount of data can be transferred…

Is this a limitation of the watch’s WiFi module? The Suunto servers? What is slowing down this process?
Is there an improvement coming up?

[Egika]

@Olaf-Gottschalk my understanding is, that the map data is heavily compressed. The pure data transfer is quick, then the data needs to be read from the eMMC, unpacked by an ultra-low-power µC and written back to the eMMC file system. No idea how quick file access is though.

[pavel.samokha]

@Olaf-Gottschalk it’s a complex topic, there are many limitations for a small long-lasting device as well as many things which can be improved still.

Personally I think it’s damn fast compared to where we started, but we are at dangerous territory where people compare the download speed against larger, more performant and longer evolved devices they are used to, like laptops, phones.
And all direct competitors have smaller maps download sizes and, at least until very recently, still rely on USB as a primary way to upload maps or even the only way (Recently release Vantage V3)

[Dimitrios Kanellopoulos]

@Egika What you said

[SuperFlo75]

@Egika I can confirm that the speed of map installing seems to be independant of the speed of Wifi… I did map downloads at Home with very slow internet data, and yesterday at work with real good internet speed… and it took very much time yesterday, too.