Ways to Improve the Moving Map
Dec 13, 2006 | 2:58 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Melbourne
Programs: Mileage Plus, Velocity Awards
Posts: 130
Ways to Improve the Moving Map
The map we see between the movies on long haul flights is, IMHO, in need of a spruce up. Beside the fact that it moves very slowly, especially between SYD-LAX, the information it gives is a bit sparse. If you were given the job of improving it, what would you do to make things more interesting? What sort of information would you like to see? What visuals?
Dec 13, 2006 | 3:02 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
Programs: SK Gold, AY Gold
Posts: 13,675
I would rather that it showed the statistics as a frame in the main airshow map, rather than on their own. Quite often, during the flight, I like to flick to the airshow and just see where I am, and don't like it so much when I have to wait 5 minutes for the actual location to come round.
Random 'facts' about the area you're flying over could be quite entertaining too.
Most of all, though, I'd like to see more IFE systems let you choose a radio channel (or AVOD playlist) while watching the map. I've only used a couple of systems that actually do allow this, and it's a very pleasant way of passing an hour or so of a long-haul.
Random 'facts' about the area you're flying over could be quite entertaining too.
Most of all, though, I'd like to see more IFE systems let you choose a radio channel (or AVOD playlist) while watching the map. I've only used a couple of systems that actually do allow this, and it's a very pleasant way of passing an hour or so of a long-haul.
Dec 13, 2006 | 12:46 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Massachusetts, USA; AA 2.996MM & Plat Pro, DL 1MM, GM & Flying Colonel
Posts: 25,038
I'd like to have it let you pick the language and system of units you want it to use, not cycle through all those someone thought would be nice to have on a given route.
Dec 14, 2006 | 2:42 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Primary: Its largest airport was named for a World War II hero; its second largest, for a World War II battle., Secondary: 88NV via RNO
Programs: Hilton Diamond*, UA ex-2P, Chase
Posts: 355
Let's tell these guys:
http://flightdisplay.com/news/2006/0...ntroduced.html
They sell it. (Interesting to know a USB drive can update the filler pages - waiting to see what a disgruntled employee does with that...
http://flightdisplay.com/news/2006/0...ntroduced.html
They sell it. (Interesting to know a USB drive can update the filler pages - waiting to see what a disgruntled employee does with that...
Dec 14, 2006 | 6:34 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: London, England.
Programs: BA
Posts: 8,779
1. Put all the "data" on one page.
Not only is it annoying to have it cycle slowly through the different language versions, there are nonsenses such as on a UK to Spain flight it does English and Imperial units, then Spanish and Imperial, then Spanish and Metric. Nobody in Spain uses Imperial !
2. Put more thought into the waypoints shown.
Some of the waypoints are truly bizarre. Surely after all these years they could have been edited to a sensible set, both for where is shown along your route and those shown more generally. For example on a London to Moscow run the maximum scale reaches down to the Mediterranean. Only Algiers, of all the Mediterranean cities, is highlighted.
Not only is it annoying to have it cycle slowly through the different language versions, there are nonsenses such as on a UK to Spain flight it does English and Imperial units, then Spanish and Imperial, then Spanish and Metric. Nobody in Spain uses Imperial !
2. Put more thought into the waypoints shown.
Some of the waypoints are truly bizarre. Surely after all these years they could have been edited to a sensible set, both for where is shown along your route and those shown more generally. For example on a London to Moscow run the maximum scale reaches down to the Mediterranean. Only Algiers, of all the Mediterranean cities, is highlighted.
Dec 14, 2006 | 2:06 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: UA 1K, Gold HH, JAL, LAN
Posts: 116
I would like to see the ability to lock on to 1 map screen of your choice, rather than cycling.
Given that the map is a broadcast channel, they could tag each map page with a code, so the seat head only updates the screen when it reaches the select tagged map.
Maybe other, which might be confusing for some passengers, would be to show the nearest 5 planes, and where they are going to, on the larger regional map.
Dec 14, 2006 | 2:32 pm
#9
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,446
The map we see between the movies on long haul flights is, IMHO, in need of a spruce up. Beside the fact that it moves very slowly, especially between SYD-LAX, the information it gives is a bit sparse. If you were given the job of improving it, what would you do to make things more interesting? What sort of information would you like to see? What visuals?
Dec 14, 2006 | 2:38 pm
#10
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SEA
Programs: AS MVPG 75k, UA zilch, IHG Spire, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Plat, Hertz Gold, Avis Presidents
Posts: 1,303
they waypoints, as i understand them, are locations of airports that could be used in an emergency... they're not necessarily somewhere special, they're just somewhere flat.
1. Put all the "data" on one page.
Not only is it annoying to have it cycle slowly through the different language versions, there are nonsenses such as on a UK to Spain flight it does English and Imperial units, then Spanish and Imperial, then Spanish and Metric. Nobody in Spain uses Imperial !
2. Put more thought into the waypoints shown.
Some of the waypoints are truly bizarre. Surely after all these years they could have been edited to a sensible set, both for where is shown along your route and those shown more generally. For example on a London to Moscow run the maximum scale reaches down to the Mediterranean. Only Algiers, of all the Mediterranean cities, is highlighted.
Not only is it annoying to have it cycle slowly through the different language versions, there are nonsenses such as on a UK to Spain flight it does English and Imperial units, then Spanish and Imperial, then Spanish and Metric. Nobody in Spain uses Imperial !
2. Put more thought into the waypoints shown.
Some of the waypoints are truly bizarre. Surely after all these years they could have been edited to a sensible set, both for where is shown along your route and those shown more generally. For example on a London to Moscow run the maximum scale reaches down to the Mediterranean. Only Algiers, of all the Mediterranean cities, is highlighted.
Nov 21, 2008 | 11:16 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Melbourne
Programs: Mileage Plus, Velocity Awards
Posts: 130
Bump!
I am flying on Jetstar from MEL-SYD-HNL then on United from HNL-various US cities - HNL in three weeks. Have any good changes been made since this discussion was last held two years ago?
How do Jetstar and United display the flight?
Many thanks.
I am flying on Jetstar from MEL-SYD-HNL then on United from HNL-various US cities - HNL in three weeks. Have any good changes been made since this discussion was last held two years ago?
How do Jetstar and United display the flight?
Many thanks.
Nov 22, 2008 | 12:16 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, California, USA
Posts: 36,062
Well, I can tell you about UA. It's pretty much the same old map -- two languages, showing a variety of views of the "you are here" map interspersed with speed, time in flight, time remaining, time at destination, time at departure location, tail wind/head wind, and altitude (I think that's everything). I meant to bring my GPS on my transpac flight to see what my own "Air Show" would look like but forgot this trip. I've used it on domestic flights with success, however -- I can see the detail so fine that I can see all the local features as we zoom over them -- fun!
Nov 22, 2008 | 1:43 am
#13
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: UK
Programs: BA EC Gold
Posts: 9,235
One of the very best moving maps I have ever seen was on, of all airlines, PIA on a flight to Lahore.
You could choose from around five different views of the route, including the full-globe view (complete with accurate projections of the sunlight on the earth), the forward-looking view, the overhead view, and a couple of others. It was really excellent.
I used to fly United quite a lot transatlantic, and I always thought the cities shown en route were a bit random. I know now that there is a city called Chicoutimi in Quebec because of the UA inflight tracker map. ^
You could choose from around five different views of the route, including the full-globe view (complete with accurate projections of the sunlight on the earth), the forward-looking view, the overhead view, and a couple of others. It was really excellent.
I used to fly United quite a lot transatlantic, and I always thought the cities shown en route were a bit random. I know now that there is a city called Chicoutimi in Quebec because of the UA inflight tracker map. ^
Nov 22, 2008 | 8:23 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,863
I too wish you could choose a scale. While it is nice to see a zoomed out view that shows your location over a country, when the aircraft marker stretches for 1/4 of the length of that country, it's not very helpful to tell where you really are. I also wish they would at a minimum show a clock on the bottom while on the map.
Now that we have in air internet and better IFE possibilities, perhaps we can have a more interactive map. I think that would be much more interesting. Particularly if they ever found a way to include something like Passur's Airport Monitor.
Now that we have in air internet and better IFE possibilities, perhaps we can have a more interactive map. I think that would be much more interesting. Particularly if they ever found a way to include something like Passur's Airport Monitor.
Nov 22, 2008 | 7:12 pm
#15
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 16,214
I would love to see a Google Earth-type map with more detailed labeling of the features and cities you're likely to see out of the window. It would also be cool to see other flights that are within visual distance. It drives me crazy to see the jet pictured horribly out of scale--when it's the size of a small state, for example.