How does MRA Navigation recalculate the route?

[Ed Lauwerens 0]

After making a route in MRA on my desktop computer, I used the Navigation app on my iPhone last week to ride this route. First time I used the Navigation app and it was a disaster. In essence, my problem was that the Navigation app was continuously telling me to make a u-turn and drive back. Even though I was pretty sure I was driving the route as planned. The route I made was only 74 kms long and I had put around 50 points on it. At a certain moment I stoped and reloaded the route, but with no change. I checked the settings of the Navigation app and made sure that 1) in route preferences, nothing was selected to avoid and 2) In Navigation preferences the option Skip Waypoints Automatically was selected.
I had the feeling that somehow the Navigator app wasn't understanding where I was on the route and wanted me to go back to earlier route-points for some reason. Can someone tell me what was happening here?
(in the end I switched back to Waze and was able to fine my destination without an issue, but I was pretty frustrated that the Navigation app wasn't able to guide me along a very simple route with enough route-points.
Thank you!

[Nick Carthew]

@Ed-Lauwerens-0 There could be a number of reasons that this happened. The easiest way to find the problem is for you to share the route in this post. Make sure the privacy is set to public.

[Hans van de Ven MR.MRA]

@Ed-Lauwerens-0
Did you missed the first viapoint when you start driving?
Did you missed viapoints while driving?
Viapoint =

When you start a route somewhere on the route, you have to skip the routepoints that are behing you, so go to the point where you are on the route, as that is point 43, you have to skip 42 point manual by clicking on the 3 dots

Maybe this will help you

[Stefan Hummelink]

@Hans-van-de-Ven-MRA-Master said in How does MRA Navigation recalculate the route?:

When you start a route somewhere on the route, you have to skip the routepoints that are behing you, so go to the point where you are on the route, as that is point 43, you have to skip 42 point manual by clicking on the 3 dots

Or change the start setting in the app to make the nav start at the nearest waypoint, afterwards making sure the nearest is not behind you, which requires on additional manual skip

[Ed Lauwerens 0]

Thank you all for your responses.

First of all, this is the route: https://www.myrouteapp.com/nl/social/route/6346131?mode=share

Reading the suggestions, I think indeed the problem was that I may have missed a routepoint - I was unaware you have to manually count routepoints and correct the missed one using the three dots.
Especially after I stopped at a moment and loaded the route again, this may have been the issue that caused the continuous "make a u-turn" remark.
Thanks for clarifying this.
Now that I know this I want to complain about this ridiculous behaviour of the Navigator app. When I load the same route in the Navigator 5 (Garmin) of my motorcycle, the unit understands that if I am driving on the route (in the right direction) - I don't want to go back to routepoints I may have missed before. Or when I go off route to a gas station and start the route again - it recalculates on how to best continue on the route.
Am I the only one to think that the way the Navigator app works is silly? And furthermore, what is the option "Skip Waypoints Automatically" for?
Thanks again for your support.

[Nick Carthew]

@Ed-Lauwerens-0 said in How does MRA Navigation recalculate the route?:

Thank you all for your responses.

First of all, this is the route: https://www.myrouteapp.com/nl/social/route/6346131?mode=share

Reading the suggestions, I think indeed the problem was that I may have missed a routepoint - I was unaware you have to manually count routepoints and correct the missed one using the three dots.
Especially after I stopped at a moment and loaded the route again, this may have been the issue that caused the continuous "make a u-turn" remark.
Thanks for clarifying this.

Thank you for sharing your route. The first thing that I noticed is that you have used the TomTom map for planning.

Both MRA Navigation and your Navigator 5 use the Here (Garmin) map. Always use the Here map as the algorithms for route calculations are different for TomTom.

This unwanted loop is caused by route point 12 (RP12). Always avoid placing RPs on viaducts, roundabouts or junctions. RP12 is on a viaduct.

I have moved RP12 away from the viaduct and solved that problem.

Always fully zoom in to each route point to check it's accuracy and positioning. Use the magnifying glass on RP1, adjust if necessary then use the right arrow to move to the next RP to check. Using this method, it only takes a very short while to check all RPs.

Your RP32 is a good example why you should check the accuracy of each RP. The map shows it on the wrong side of the road and this will cause your GPS device to unwantedly turn around.

The screenshots above are from the TomTom map, you may find the route is a little different in the Here map.

Now that I know this I want to complain about this ridiculous behaviour of the Navigator app. When I load the same route in the Navigator 5 (Garmin) of my motorcycle, the unit understands that if I am driving on the route (in the right direction) - I don't want to go back to routepoints I may have missed before. Or when I go off route to a gas station and start the route again - it recalculates on how to best continue on the route.
Am I the only one to think that the way the Navigator app works is silly? And furthermore, what is the option "Skip Waypoints Automatically" for?
Thanks again for your support.

The auto skip function will auto skip one missed shaping point when you are closer to the next route point, it will not auto skip a via point.

[Stefan Hummelink]

@Nick-Carthew said in How does MRA Navigation recalculate the route?:

The auto skip function will auto skip one missed shaping point when you are closer to the next route point,.....

Well, not exactly! It'll try to get you back to the missed waypoint at least three times, for it to skip that routepoint. As far as I know there is no "distance" parameter that is being checked, although that would however be a very neat addition to the algorithm! Especially for closely spaced waypoints where the app is still trying to get you back to the missed one, while you've already passed the next one... The app therefore keeps giving bullshit instructions untill the next waypoint is sufficiently far away for the app to get a chance to auto skip the missed routepoint... I personally have encountered this several times already, just recently this Sunday afternoon...

Hope this will be solved in the next nav update. Absolutely horrible behaviour.

[Ed Lauwerens 0]

@Nick-Carthew Dear Nick, thank you very much for you extensive response. You are totally right about using the right Map as well as placing points at the right side of the road. I normally check each route on both HERE as well as TomTom map and also use the possibility to show the differences between them. My main problem was however the fact that the Navigator was trying to send me back to the first points, after I restarted the route between point 4 and 5. I was unaware (and have learned now) that I have to manually skip the first 4 routepoints when I do that. (something I think is pretty user unfriendly).
At least I now understand how Navigator works, thank you all for your responses and assistance.

[Drabslab]

@StefanHummelink perhaps there should be a speed button "skip next waypoint" in the nav system?

tap the screen once in the left (?) corner and a speed menu appears, click the button "skip" and that menu disappears and so does the waypoint.

TomTOm has a speed menu but it contains things that I don't consider as needing speed. The ideal would of course be that users could configure such speed menu

[Stefan Hummelink]

@Drabslab Personally I prefer NO user interaction with my phone at all. The algorithm can be made a lot smarter when some effort is put into it. Just requires work hehe and focus on the app... 🤭

[Drabslab]

@StefanHummelink the perfect is the enemy of the good :-):-)

but you are right, a better analyzed algorithm could do wonders ... but that will cost a lot of time to develop perhaps. The danger is however that such "intelligent" system will start taking decisions that you would prefer taking yourselves like e.g. sending you over a main road when you placed a waypoint on a calmer side road

[Stefan Hummelink]

@Drabslab True, this mechanisms should only deal with missed waypoints and the way to get to the next one:
while exit ~= true
...
If missedwp == true
count = 0
while dist2missedwp < dist2nextwp && count <=3
instruct back to route;
count ++;
end
skip missed waypoint;
end
missedwp == false
end

Something like that. Very quick. Don't mind the syntax.