Overview
Microsoft will gradually shut down Bing Maps for Enterprise from July 2025. To ensure that Track of the day continues to work, all access to the Bing services has been switched. In version 6.1, route calculations, maps and POI services from Microsoft Azure Maps, Google Maps, HERE Maps and GraphHopper Maps were therefore integrated. GraphHopper also provides route calculation for www.Kurviger.de. HERE is a provider that emerged from the former NOKIA department for maps and navigation. HERE maps can be found in almost all German-made cars. The new services enable many new functions, but also require some changes.
Maps
In addition to the maps previously available, there are now maps from:
- Microsoft Azure Maps
- Google Maps
- HERE Maps
Google maps no longer need to be stored locally. The weather map has been revised and now shows current precipitation. The separate map for displaying the traffic situation and traffic jams and closures is no longer available in version 6.1. Instead, all traffic information is displayed on the main map. The services from HERE Maps are used.
Routing
Within the routing profiles, you can now choose between Azure Maps, Google Maps and GraphHopper Maps. Because all routing services have different parameters and provide routing data in different formats, routing mode, avoidances, optimizations and preferences now depend on the routing profile set. Options such as optimizing by time & avoiding closures are not supported by the newly integrated services. The GraphHopper services have no access to the current traffic situation and do not know about seasonal closures, etc. You can see whether roads are really passable by displaying the new map view Traffic situation. In addition, current closures, disruptions, traffic jams, construction sites and much more can be displayed on the map.
POIs
The POI services are now partially linked to the selected map. For example, if a Google map is active and you click on a POI symbol displayed there with SHIFT + left mouse button, POI data is retrieved from Google Maps in the background. It works the same way with Azure Maps and HERE Maps. For all other maps, the POI services from Azure Maps are used. In the POI search, you can now search directly for speed cameras in the current map section. If maps from Azure Maps, Google Maps or HERE Maps are active, the POI super search uses the appropriate POI services. For all other maps, the POI database from Azure Maps is used.
Interface
To make it easier to get started and use, the new version has a main menu like the one you know from classic Windows applications. This menu can be shown or hidden, which is particularly helpful on tablets with small displays.
Measure
In Garmin BaseCamp there is a function that allows you to measure distances with two mouse clicks. Many users have always wanted a similar function. This was implemented with the new Measure Distances dialog. If this dialog is activated, you can click on a start and destination point on a map. With each click, an attempt is made to find an address using Microsoft Azure Maps. If an address was found for both clicks, the distance is displayed as the crow flies. You can measure many distances, each new measurement is shown in a list. The elements in this list have a preview function and you can generate a route from each measurement. The set routing profile is used.
Update from version 6.0.2
Due to the many new services, there have been changes to the saved settings of the routing profiles and the map views. Before updating, you should therefore back up all data and delete or rename the following folders in the C:\Users\{Name}\Documents\Track of the day directory:
- RoutingProfiles
- CachedMaps
You can then uninstall version 6.0.2 and install version 6.1 using the Microsoft Windows Store app. To avoid connection problems with the SQL server, we recommend restarting Windows after uninstalling version 6.0.2. Alternatively, you can use the Windows Task Manager to terminate the Microsoft SQL Server LocalDB instance. All new features will be presented in tutorial videos in the coming weeks.
