Online Mapping Services

[AlbertanGP]

First off, let me state that I use C-MAP Genesis (Lowrance) from time to time to compare their algorithm to ReefMaster's. I'm not sure Garmin or Humminbird have a "private" function with their services, so this may be a moot point with them. Regardless, you'd want to contact their support if it's a concern.

I contacted Navico support after taking a close look at the C-MAP Genesis Privacy Policy. I had concerns that even though I pay an annual subscription fee and mark all the sonar logs I upload as private, that they could still wind up being used by Navico for their benefit. The long and short of it is that although Navico currently only incorporates Social Map data into their other products, by uploading your sonar logs to Genesis you are giving ownership of the data to Navico and long term plans with Navico may change over time.

So it's something to keep in mind (for Lowrance users at least) that every time you use Genesis Edge, you are giving your collected data to Navico to do with as they please, regardless of whether you indicated you want it kept private or not. I bring it up because it's counterintuitive to paying an annual fee and clicking a box labelled "Keep Private". Big surprise...

[smith88]

I'm not surprised. Everything seems to be about profit these days for some companies and are willing to use technology to "gather" or more like steal private data. Right, Mark Zuckerberg?

[AlbertanGP]

I just don't like how deceptive they are. "Here's our Social Map service. Feel free to upload your efforts and share them with the public/us for no charge (I mean, really, you're doing our job for us so why would we charge you?). What's that? You want to keep your logs private? No problem. Buy a Genesis Edge subscription for $99/yr and make sure you specifically tick the box marked "Keep Private" when you upload your logs."

"Oh BTW, your 'private' logs are now our property. Cheers dumb***. :)"

[SNAPFisher]

I just don't like how deceptive they are. "Here's our Social Map service. Feel free to upload your efforts and share them with the public/us for no charge (I mean, really, you're doing our job for us so why would we charge you?). What's that? You want to keep your logs private? No problem. Buy a Genesis Edge subscription for $99/yr and make sure you specifically tick the box marked "Keep Private" when you upload your logs."

"Oh BTW, your 'private' logs are now our property. Cheers dumb***. :)"

:lol:

That sums it up well!

[mlee]

Garmin has Active Captain. User made mapping is uploaded and shared on the platform. I can download maps made by other users and maps I upload are available for others to use. The difference I guess is the Active Captain app and all of its other features (which are all great) are free and you agree that all content uploaded is public to use. I love it personally because I have yet to see any paid mapping service that is even close to accurate especially on most alberta and Saskatchewan lakes.
Also it is just the mapping that gets uploaded....way points and routes from my device stay on my device only.

[Freedom55]

I find that staring at the screen all day is terribly distracting and not conducive to a happy fishing day. Sonar is one thing but my information is that GPS satellites are owned by the U.S. military are by design not as accurate as we'd think. The hand held route plotter I bought a dozen years ago was accurate to within 6m or 20'. Not good enough for charting.

Free

[thorne]

I guess personally I always have the opinion that as soon any data from any device through any medium is uploaded to anywhere...its no longer private...someone, somewhere has access to it. With that I was always under the impression that the whole intent of the "Real Time" mapping services was to get user data to be able to generate more accurate bathemetric maps in the first place...I don't pay for a subscription , and just use the basic C-Maps services and I do use the Social Maps both to download existing maps and upload new data...I get that some people feel like its a bit shifty..especially with the "Keep Private" option...and YA they may as well just state all data uploaded to servers are now property of the system...but now-a-days...its pretty much a given...