Route planning software
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Route planning software is computer software designed to plan a route between two geographical locations. Many online mapping sites offer route planning as an adjunct.
Microsoft Autoroute is one of the best known Route Planning software applications. Although Route Planning software is prone to mistakes if you try to get directions from destination A to B, the use of common sense is also required.
For anyone planning a road trip or holiday, a Route Planning Application is extremely useful for calculating the time and cost of journeys.
Route planning is notoriously difficult, and this software is famously prone to comical errors. Some are understandable, such as directing people via central London (impassable for much of the day, but to realise this requires local knowledge); others are less easy to credit:
- From Southampton to Portsmouth avoiding motorways in early AutoRoute versions, the route went via the Isle of Wight, involving two ferry crossings.
- From Haverfordwest to Leominster in AutoRoute 2002, the route offered is via Dún Laoghaire, also involving two crossings, this time of the Irish Sea, a journey requiring in excess of one day of travel. To drive direct takes a few hours.
- According to The Times on 22 November 2005, the RAC's route planner suggests a route from the East Midlands to Devon via Ireland and France, a journey involving three ferry trips.
