What difference does the choice of road data make?

Road networks are key to calculating isochrones, routes and travel times between origins and destinations.

To create realistic results, the road network must cover the area you are interested in, be suitably detailed, and correctly structured to ensure connectivity between each link in the road network and to ensure road junctions,bridges and flyovers are treated appropriately.

Roads, streets, paths...

<strong>Does your field force walk between call points?</strong> NAVTEQ street data now includes some important pathways (shown here, overlaid on Bing web maps)

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For best results, choose detailed street networks to model short journey times and distances to generate, for example, 15-minute drive-time catchments (isochrones) or 5-minute walk times, to provide driver directions for the "final mile" of a longer route, or where you need to route to remote areas via small rural roads. However, when the analysis is over a wider area, a more strategic road network can be faster, more efficient and more cost-effective.

One-way, widths, heights and other transport restrictions

Choose premium data options such as NAVTEQ Streets to take into account one-way roads, pedestrianised streets, low bridges, width limits, banned turns and other transport restrictions. When you invest in detailed data, make sure your software is also capable of using the information. GeoXploit and GeoConcept use Smart Routing functionality that takes account of navigational attributes on your road network.

Great Britain, UK, Europe, World...

Does your business only operate in Great Britain or do you also need mapping for Northern Ireland, Europe or other parts of the world? MapMechanics will help you select a data set with the appropriate coverage and will advise on the availability of subsets where only small areas are required.

Connected roads with correct routing over and under bridges

<strong>Connected roads</strong> MapMechanics road networks are processed to ensure that routes only exit the motorway at a junction and do not 'jump' onto roads that cross beneath.

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Not all digital maps are suitable for drive-time applications. The MapMechanics' Process Promise ensures that road networks are fully routable with full connectivity and nodes(junctions) in the data only where crossing roads are at the same level, so you don't inadvertently model journeys that include routes "jumping off" motorway bridges and continuing along B-roads that pass beneath, for example.