Inventions (specifically tools) are upgraded as time goes on, but many have not. Obviously we have electronic devices etc. But have (1800's) navigational tools such as the ones used by David Thompson, been upgraded? What is the easiest tool to navigate with nowadays, if you were living like David Thompson. Is there something better than a sextant, that David Thompson could use, for example.
The sextant has only been upgraded in the sense that the parts that it is composed of are now made of different materials. The device is still the same unit as when it was invented. The US Navy continues to use sextants on ships to check against GPS and confirm location.
Google image search for US navy quartermaster sextant As you can see the worlds most technologically advanced navy still relies on the sextant for a navigation tool. I think that's pretty good evidence that to date we haven't really found anything to replace the sextant.
This was the sextant used during the Apollo program:
https://www.ion.org/museum/item_view.cfm?cid=4&scid=19&iid=293
...I don't know if that kind of thing is what you refer to as an "electronic device" (I took you to mean GPS etc) but it worked about the same.
I still have mine on my bookshelf at home..... The sextant is about the most effective means of celestial navigation. Although I don't know who the David Thompson is, to whom you refer, there is little that could be done to improve the basic design. Such improvements that there have been in my time have been improvements in detail, but that's all. I'm not sure what more one would want in terms of a navigational device!