The Edge Explore (EE) tries to warn users for sharp bends ahead on the road. Independent of how well - or not - this function behaves and how well - or not - people like this function, these warnings cannot be suppressed. Probably for different reasons users of the EE have pleaed Garmin to give these warnings an ON/OFF switch - some wouldn't even cry when this function was removed completely. Garmin is aware of the Sharp Bend issues in the meantime.
Because it was suggested as a temporary work-around for suppressing the sharp bend warnings (SBWs) by using "original" OSM maps and my doubts about that I have compared 4 different OSM-based maps to get more insight if the mentioned work-around was really working and how other 'OSM' maps - including the original Garmin Cycle Map - behave in this respect.
Maps used:
- the original Garmin Cycle Map EU that came with the EE (version 2018.10)
- the OpenFietsMap (OFM) Benelux (version 25-08-2018) from www.openfietsmap.nl
- the Routable Bicycle (Openfietsmap Lite) (version 31-08-2018) from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/
- the Generic Routable (new style) (version 31-08-2018) from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/
My observations thusfar - be aware, this is not a scientific test
- independent which map used, the SBWs pop-up consequently on all 4 maps. Maybe disappointing, but the suggested work-around did not work here.
- independent if you are navigating a Course - with or without Turn Guidance switched ON - or not (doing only breadcrump recording of your ride), the SBWs pop-up. Specially in the last case where you don't even have an active Course it is interesting to know on what criteria the EE decides to show a SBW. I was very surprised seeing this happen! Has the EE some kind of 'birdview' on the area where you are riding?
- the SBWs seem never to occur at crossings, also not at T-crossings where your only choice is going right or left. This is independent how sharp the bend ahead may be.
- sometimes there are 'false positives' - SBWs come up with large wide bends ahead, specially when more bends followup after another
- the behaviour is more than a few times unpredictive. If 'in the field' there is a really sharp bend of 90 degrees, where on the map there is also drawn a really sharp bend of 90 degrees you would expect a SBW but none comes up. In the contrary, when seemingly in the same situation, a SBW does come up. It is difficult to determine what condition causes this. Maybe it depends on the number of nodes that is used on OSM to draw the bend in the way - sometimes you use only one node if the situation 'in the field' is like that, but sometimes you use two or three nodes if there is some kind of 'bending' in the way. As long as we don't know the algorithms on which the SBWs are based, we have to guess.
- together with the SBW a countdown distance for the bend ahead is displayed. In complex situations you cannot determine which bend is being focussed on, while the EE also does not know which road you are going to ride. So for which bend are you being warned, while you are not going to take a bend at all but rather going straight ahead? The SBW is useless here and is more distracting and confusing than helpful.
Maybe Garmin finds enough reason in this to make the SBWs at least switchable, or even - like I would prefer - to let them out completely.
