New search functionality

Arno 0

Played a little with the new search functionality and it has improved a lot with e.g. the new shown categories (icons) which can be used to easily find a petrol station, supermarket, restaurant etc. I have the following observations:

When I search for one of my routes, select it from the search results and then try to open the route (Open route), it unfortunately does not open the route but sends you back to the search screen. Directly navigating a route from the search results is no problem.
All search results when using one of the icons are sorted based on the distance. However, when I search for hospitals using that icon, the result is not adequately sorted. For example the nearest hospital (5.5 km) for me is shown 6th in row. It first shows hospitals at 6.8, 14, 18, 15 and 17 km’s.

Corjan Meijerink

@Arno-0 Thanks for the feedback!

Regarding issue 1: I think the route is opened correctly but the search result screen is still open above it. Swiping the search interface down (or clicking back) will close it and I guess the route will become visible
I just observed this issue myself too tonight and already fixed it!

Issue 2: sorting is done automatically by HERE. Distance is an important factor but other algorithmic choices by HERE can result in other hits being prioritised even when further away. Given hospitals as specific example, I can assume that a big hospital 10km further away might show before a local clinic (also category hospital) only 500m away. But I'm just guessing now

Arno 0

@Corjan-Meijerink thanks for your quick reply and already solving the first point . Don’t know what the Here selection criteria are for the order of the hospitals but I don’t think it has anything to do with its size or importance for the regio. No problem because you cannot change it

Corjan Meijerink

@Arno-0 no worries! Thanks for your input

Nick Carthew

A great addition to an already excellent app so congratulations to #TeamMRA.
I have noticed that the search function seems to use a straight line to calculate the distance and not a true road distance.
My example shows the Murco fuel station just 3.7 miles from my location yet in reality you need to drive for 14.29 miles to use a bridge to cross over a river.

Nick Carthew

Another example of wrongly calculated distance does not require a river crossing but again the distance is calculated by using a straight line and not true road distance.
Calculated distance is 2.3 miles but the actual road distance is 3.05 miles.

Jack van Tilburg

@Nick-Carthew said in New search functionality:

I have noticed that the search function seems to use a straight line to calculate the distance and not a true road distance.

I think that is known when using the Here card.
Garmins do that too.
I see that it also happens in my BMW Connected App (TomTom).
The distance in the search screen is 'birdseye'.

Corjan Meijerink

Yes correct, that’s by design
Most apps do it like this as it’s undesired to calculate actual route distances for a long list of POIs.

Dave J 0

@Corjan-Meijerink Love the new search facility - excellent job. Just wondering when this kind of search will be integrated so that searches can be done whilst on a route? Currently, I have to exit my route nav to then create a new nav session. Yes, I understand that for the majority of pre-planned routes most people will probably have plotted their stops. That said, there are occasions when I am at a location and plot a quick route for the day and want to not have to think about planning these stops before I set off. Being able to initiate such searches whilst on route would be brilliant.

Keep up the excellent work.

Corjan Meijerink

@Dave-J-0 That is for further down the road! But definitely on our planning.

RetiredWingMan

@Corjan-Meijerink I would love to be able to search for fuel, restaurants or hotels along my route while navigating a route. Then just add a poi to my route. Magic! Great work so far!