Routing in Islamabad, the Naqsha way!
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Come to think of it, no matter how ‘planned’ Islamabad seems to be, it really isn’t that easy to navigate around in. The only good thing about this city is that it has signboards everywhere, so you know where you are at least. In order to alleviate problems, some companies decided to take it upon themselves to setup a digital map of the city. Naqsha.net was one of the pioneers in this field with a map offering using Adobe SVG viewer. Their data was quite accurate, upto 90% accurate according to some people i know, yet it was their reliance on the Adobe software which made it very hard to use.
No longer are we, the citizens of this fine city, limited by the clunky adobe software! Naqsha has taken their map offerings to the next level by integrating it with Google Maps! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the overlays they’ve created for the google maps api is very professional and extremely useful. They go down to a maximum zoom level of 1000 ft, which is close enough to give you street numbers in all sectors.
The routing function is also available, even though i wasn’t able to utilize it properly. However, for what i needed, an address in I8/2, it quite possibly saved me not only 10-15 minutes of being lost and burning fuel, but also a considerable amount of frustration! Definitely something people on the road could use! they’ve also got quite a few other cities online as well and are not just limited to Islamabad.
1:43 pm
Pretty good !!
I was able to locate my street too, easily
2:27 pm
asma: it seriously is!
3:16 pm
I use this one http://www.visitislamabad.net/islamabad/files/map-home.asp and I think it’s not bad either.
2:06 pm
I’ve been working on http://openstreetmap.org/?lat=33.6694&lon=73.0931&zoom=12&layers=B0FT along with some friends. It’s a lot faster than naqsha and the data is 99% accurate (except for I-10 and I-9 which are still in the works).
I would stay away from CDA maps because their accuracy is way lower. You can load OSM on your mobile phones too. I’ll post a couple of applications that can be downloaded on mobile phones and set up to pull data from OSM
3:05 pm
ali: welcome to GnW.
Open street map is really a fine applciation! I saw it and it is quite a bit more detailed than naqsha, and especially where curved roads are concerned.
thanks for sharing.. i’ll be awaiting the apps you give for mobile phones.. that’ll be a real boon for me.
3:15 pm
Thanks Mansoor. Try MOM at http://mom.poco.org.uk/get.html or MGMaps at http://wap.mgmaps.com(get the signed JAD for your device). Both support GPS devices but MGMaps crashes sometimes.
I like MOM better because it defaults to OSM data while MGMaps has to be configured. I suggest you get MOM, let it download the world map and then go looking for Pakistan. Zoom in, let it download and then zoom in again (this will take about 5 – 10 minutes). Once data has been downloaded, you need not access the internet and can run the maps from your phone memory. You can also mark areas (i marked all the sectors in Islamabad so it’s really easy to navigate).
12:26 pm
thanks ali! will try it over the weekend.
9:12 am
I work on the naqsha.net team. I would say that our maps are 99% accurate. You can test this yourself by using the Hybrid mode on our Google Maps API version. Increase and decrease the opacity using the opacity control on the top-right corner. You will see that our roads are exactly on top of the roads in the Google images. We also provide road and POI searching as well as directions/routing for major Pakistani cities. There is also a mobile application which you may download for your java enabled mobile phone at http://naqsha.net/naqsha_mobile_beta.jar.
11:49 am
Hi Nadir, You streets seem to be accurate in terms of where they are supposed to be. However, you have to work on street names because I have found a lot of discrepancies there. You are still missing quite a few streets and have named others incorrectly. I usually drive around in all streets and get their names from the street signs (instead of using CDA’s data because they seem to get a lot of names wrong). One problem with tracing off Google Images is that you don’t really visit the streets you are mapping, thus the errors in naming them. However, with GPS traces for each street you get good clean data but with petrol prices increasing every other week, this WILL take a toll on your wallet… it has on mine
3:08 pm
nadir: thanks for commenting on this blog! its always nice to hear from people who are at the forefront of the applications.
4:12 pm
Thank you. Its always nice to read other people’s comments. It allows us to improve the naqsha.net experience. Talking about comments and feedback: I have been working on a new interface for naqsha.net which you might be kind enough to give your thoughts on. Please visit http://naqsha.net/extjs . It allows multiple search results and resizing of the map view to the browser window. You guys would be the first ones to use it.
11:35 am
Ali.
Where can i get ALX or COD for MOM mapping software. I am trying gmap but every time i need to search for Islamabad on OSM adn then zoom in. So i wanna try MOM on my blackberry (not registered with any blackberry server)
11:44 am
Hamza,
Im not using MOM anymore because mgmap has better zoom levels. I dont even know if there is a ALX or COD for MOM. I dont see why you have to search for isb on mgmap. It should start from the last location you were at. Check the settings on it.
12:11 pm
Ali
I did but but for some stupid reason whenever i open the application it goes to main globe view and i need to zoom in or search. I have know issues with the GPRS data it eats (as my phone bill is paid by my company) but its a tiring procedure.
Though i love the details you people have put in OSM. I think the next step remaining are teh house numbers.
My GPS receiver was pretty correct during my yesterday commute from office to home, occasionally it was showing me driving on green belts though.
12:31 pm
Maybe we can meet up someday and figure out what is wrong with the settings. I have downloaded all the maps on my phone so i dont need to be using GPRS.
I dont know about house numbers though. It took me months just to get the streets in. Getting house numbers in will probably take a year :p
Its weird that it showed you driving on a green belt. It shoudn’t be doing that because i’ve used multiple GPS devices to get those tracks. Maybe we could check that problem out too.
9:26 am
Sure we can meet up and try to sort this one out.
I couple of more questions for you and hope that you might be able to help.
Firstly, can openstreetmaps be configured on a hand held or car mounted GPS systems (e.g TOMTOM or Garmin) I read somewhere that it is possible but the procedure to do that is very difficult. Has anyone over here tried to do this. I read on NAQSHA(dot)net that thier map can some fit into Garmin systems. Has anyone given it a try . I am thinking about getting one of these devices from US and mount it on my car.
Secondly most of the new Japanese Imported car have built in GPS system in them but the mapping is in Japanese and that of Japan only. Can those be some how retrofitted with the Openstreetmap system?
Hamza
11:08 am
Hamza,
It is possible to use OSM data on TomTom or Garmin. You can read more about that at these links http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/TomTom and http://downloads.cloudmade.com/
I have not tried this so i am not sure how it works. I have talked to my boss about this as he probably knows more about OSM and mapping than most people in Pakistan. He says that he will be glad to help you figure out how to get OSM to run on your handheld or car mounted GPS system. The same goes for the Japanese GPS systems.
I will be out of Pakistan from the 9th till the end of the month so we can either meet before i leave or after i return
7:29 am
Hello. I’m from naqsha.net. We are currently in the process of testing our maps on Garmin GPS units and would be bringing them to the market soon. We have obtained a dealership from Garmin and are using their tools and standards to compile the maps for the Garmin GPS devices. As for the Japanese imports, we are also trying to work something out there as well. Most of the car manufacturers use propriety formats for the maps. We have talked to Honda regarding that and are still waiting for a response from them. Once we have the right tools we would be able to compile our maps for use in the Japanese imports as well.
I would suggest you wait a while longer and dont purchase a Garmin unit from the US as that would only have US maps with it and you would be paying for those too. We would be providing the same units with Pakistan maps preloaded on them.
Nadir
8:11 pm
Hi Nadir
Its nice to know that atleast someone is trying to bring Garmin with proper mapping.
I have checked on their website they only have one dealer in Pakistan by the name of East West Infiniti PVT LTD. But they don’t have any info on their website(http://www.eastwestin.com
) weather they have detailed maps of Pakistan or not.
If you guys need someone to test your maps please contact me, i would love to do this
Hamza
10:28 pm
is the garmin map available yet? just arrived here and this would make my life sooooo much easier!!!
thanks
7:33 am
Hello everyone. I am pleased to announce that naqsha.net is now ready to sell Pakistan maps for Garmin GPS systems. Both GPS devices and maps are available. For more details email at support at naqsha dot net.
Nadir
8:56 am
Nadir
The dilemma in Pakistan with all the service providers is that they don’t have any sense of customer service.
Why i am witting this, cause i have emailed your company about 2 months ago regarding some information but i did not even received an automated reply let alone a reply from some one working at your place.
So if you really wants to sell your products in this market, you need to put the price pints on the website and not by asking people to email. I will appreciate if you can post the prices on this forum so everyone here can know about this.
Regards
Hamza
9:40 am
Hamza, I will update the website with the price information. Just to let you know the map alone will cost Rs. 9,000. The map is routable and searchable. I must also mention that the major cities have street level road detail. Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore have well labeled streets and roads so you can search a particular street in a particular area. Also the POIs are also much denser for Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Lahore. So basically you will be paying for Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Lahore but we are putting in the rest of Pakistan as well as an introductary offer. You will be recieving free updates for upto an year as well.
Regarding your email to us: I am sorry that no one replied to you. I asure you it will happen in the future.
Regards,
Nadir
9:41 am
The prices for Garmin GPS units start at Rs. 29,750 for the Garmin Nuvi 200w with Pakistan Maps preloaded.
Regards,
Nadir
11:26 am
Nadir
My question to you know is that weather your maps can be preloaded to any garmin device or you have specific models that support your maps. Also is there a way to check your map performance via demo on a device.
\Regards
Hamza
12:14 pm
The map may be loaded onto any Garmin GPS device. When you purchase a map it will be unlocked for that particular unit only. If you wish to use the map on another Garmin unit you would have to purchase an additional map for that Garmin unit. Currently there is no demo available. I have discussed this at the office. We are thinking of uploading a video demo. I hope that would do.
Regards,
Nadir
1:40 pm
Where is your office located? Which city?
7:18 am
Our office is located in Rawalpindi. I checked your email on our support account. Sorry don’t know about those TAR files you’ve mentioned. I will be updating the website soon as well.
Regards,
Nadir
5:58 pm
How can I interate some digital map on my blackberry 8310. Either on “blackberry maps” application or on “google earth” application?
7:03 pm
Very good model of Garmin GPS 350 (with SD Card slot)available in USA available for just US$180 then why NAQSHA.NET selling on very higher price? second thing make image file of Lahore and Islamabad city maps (90% coverage) from http://www.openstreetmap.org save it on SD card and use in Garmin GPS 100% free then why one pay Rs, 9000 to NAQSHA.COM
The only bad things, yes I repeat only bad things is these openstrretmap.org not route able otherwise give all the POI. If any one need openstreetmap.org Lahore Islamabad/Rawalpindi map let me know. I will send you free image file to use with your Garmin GPS if your GPS has SD card memory slot. More if any one need whole EU , Gulf, Singapore/Malaysia, Australia or Hong Kong route able Garmin GPS maps let me know all is 100% free. Because I believe, IT should free for all except in some cases. Let’s connect us.
10:48 pm
I 100% agree with you Waheed. If you catually look aorunf on ebay and some other online retailer you can get the Garmin for less than $120. NAQSGA people are ripping off with 24000 Rs models. I have ordered one Garmin from US and will get my deilvery in 1st week of Dec.
I have used the openstreetmaps’ map for MGMAP software and they work very nicely in Lahore and Islamabad, but maping of karachi is a bit patchy.
How can i get in touch with you regarding gettign the maps? you can email me at chishtie{at}gmail{dot}com
2:21 am
The guys at naqsha are probably charging more for the Garmin as well as the maps because they see this as a business opportunity. They have put in a lot of time into it so i dont really blame them for trying to make a buck.
I have been working on openstreetmap for a year along with some friends and colleagues (I mapped almost 95% of islamabad that you see on osm). We see this as a community project as opposed to a business which is probably why we dont have as much data. However, our accuracy is better since we actually go to the streets we map as opposed to just tracing off google maps and OSM has far more data than naqsha or anyone else.
A few things about OSM. You can get them to work on garmin. You can also get them on MGMaps or MOM for you cell phones (including blackberry). OSM is currently working on routing, but there are applications like moemo mapper that provide routing off OSM. If you guys need help getting the maps on your cell phones, let me know and i will be glad to help. My email is moeen[dot]ali[at]gmail[dot]com
2:23 am
Agree with you Waheed, maps should be free for all.
9:33 am
I believe that the charges for the maps by naqsha.net are very much reasonable. I’m not just saying this because I work at naqsha.net. But because I know how much time, money and effort we have put to compile these maps. For the money you pay for the map you get the complete searchable and routable map of Pakistan. There are over 40,000 POIs. And we have started integrating house number data as well. I can asure you that this is no simple or easy task when you dont have any accurate digital maps of Pakistan available. There are many attributes of roads which you have to consider to make routable maps. This includes road types, priorities, one-ways, toll roads, speed limits, turn restrictions, etc. So what I am saying is that this isn’t easy and it takes a lot of time and money. We dont have just Islamabad and Lahore, we have at least another 10 major cities and a lot more smaller towns mapped up to street level detail and fully searchable and routable.
Now regarding the price: We have got licensing from Garmin and that costs a lot. Then there is the cost of importing all those units and paying duties and freight charges. The rising dollar only makes things more expensive for us.
But we have also provided fully searchable and routable maps free of cost on our website naqsha.net. Any one can use them. Its easy and fully features. You dont get such quality searchable and routable maps of Pakistan on the internet anywhere. I dont know even if there are routable maps of Pakistan available on the internet at all other than at naqsha.net.
12:31 am
The url is not working for the time being
The page cannot be found
url : http://naqsha.net/googleapi/
May be its just me or they have changed the path to this directory.
9:58 am
,adir, can you please give any contact number. I want to buy these maps and naqsha.net does not have any contact information.
10:02 am
,adir, can you please give any contact number. I want to buy these maps and naqsha.net does not have any contact information. Or contact me on 03005553499
5:27 pm
These openstreetmaps are great. Can somebody upload them to google maps so that everyone should have access to them.
6:16 pm
Hussain,
Google maps data is copyright so you dont want to put OSM maps on there since OSM is an open source community. The reason they started OSM was so that people could use these maps for their benefit without having to deal with the whole copyright issue that we have with google, tiger, etc.
7:00 pm
I saw the Garmin GPS device Nuvi 200 at local Metro warehouse in Islamabad for 28000, and apparently it have Pakistan map preloaded in it (i am assuming the NAQSHA people are selling it over there). Well i have just bought the same device from US for $110 (Rs 8250) i just need to add the OSM maps in it. I think i got a much better deal even if i buy the maps from Naqsha people for Rs 9000.
2:00 am
Hello,
I am in France now a days and using Mio GPS device, If I purchase a GPS maps for Lahore or Islamabad from naqsha.net, could you please guide me, whether, it ‘ll function properly with my GPS device since it is made for Garmin GPS devices initially? and /or you have any other solution then please guide me.. in fact, I do not want to purchase a new GPS device like Garmin because of its cost since I ‘ll stay there for a few weeks ..
Thank you in advance
Rao
5:42 am
Someone please tell me where in Islamabad or on internet i can buy a Islamabad GPS Map, cause i have a GPS but i cant find the map to put in it
5:44 am
i got mio too help me to fing map
5:45 am
Can also someone tell me the best company to apply for a job in islamabad, i got like it courses and business too
9:45 am
If u have a garmin unit i can give you the map of Islamabad( OSM version).
8:08 pm
hey guys…great work naqsha team but im with rest of them cuz when the compitition comes in you dont only see what efforts u do but the market too!
neways @ HAMZA BROOOOOOOOOOO…..
can you mail me maps please please….
qaasim@gmail.com or i can give you my ftp link to upload files?
12:12 pm
QASIM: please send me an email telling me which map do you want . I only have OSM maps which can be used on Garmin devices. my email is chishtie@gmail.com
9:07 am
I think you can get the same data for free from http://pkmaps.freeforums.org. It’s a community of mappers who are making their own freely available road maps of pakistan for GPS devices.
1:57 am
Hello,
I am planning to buy a GPS mapping device, can any one help me to find out the best price. I have checked in on beliscity. http://www.beliscity.com/electronics_gps_gps_mapping/c5_69_475/index.html but any other place from where i can buy it on cheap rate.
Thx,
Hammad.
12:51 pm
can some one help me n making my FYP on digitizing a city using google map apis.i hav a problm to view the city roads etc