Thanks to the astounding boom in GPS-assisted mapping gadgets, we can instantly know exactly where we are in the world to within a few metres. And we do this by being told, by a machine that does all the work for us. A sign of progress if ever there was one, right? Travel blogging is all about embracing new technology – so should automatic digital mapping be trumpeted as the future of travel, and should we be tossing our “old-school” paper maps in the bin?
Here are 7 reasons why that might be a really bad idea.
Nb. We’re calling paper maps “analog” for the purposes of this article. You know it’s a blurry definition at best, yeah? (Like the way you can get Ordnance Survey Landranger on Multi-Map apps). But in general, if a machine doesn’t do the bulk of the work, we’re calling it analog.
1. Maps Are Selective
If geography is prose, maps are iconography.
Lennart Meri
As an archaeology student on excavations in the UK, I resented the drawing. No – I hated the drawing. We were taking heaps of photos, so why did we have to draw everything as well? The answer is simple: archaeology isn’t just about gathering data, it’s about interpreting it. A photograph captures pretty much everything. Even in the hands of a pro, a camera is a device designed to capture the bulk of the light hitting it in one gulp. In contrast, a drawing selects. It sifts through the raw data to emphasize, highlight and ultimately present an argument. And it’s the same with maps.
(More of the implications of that a little later).
2. Maps Need To Be Read
You know the argument that Google search is making us stupid? How about cutting & pasting that argument into the realm of digital mapping? Is this generation the last that will truly know how to read a map? The President of the British Cartographic Society has already expressed her concern – and since map-reading is a mental exercise, do we run the risk of dumbing down our brains by relying on machines to tell us where in the world we are?
3. Maps Are Beautiful
A few months back, I visited the British Museum in London while an exhibition was running. The topic? The History Of Maps. Laid out in glass cases were some of the world’s most famous cartographic marvels – some impossible complicated, as intricate as illuminated manuscripts, some riots of colour to the point of being garish…and all of them beautiful.
Maps aren’t just educational. They’re educational art.
4. Maps Are Fun
How about a London Underground style guide to France’s wine regions? And hey, when was the last time Google Earth was this much fun?
‘Nuff said.
5. Maps Are Propaganda
Visit the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus and you’ll notice a curious thing: the maps show different things, depending on where you bought them. For the last couple of decades, the EU-recognised Republic of Cyprus in the south, and the Turkish-occupied north of the island have been engaged in a cold war of naming conventions. Take the capital. A Republic-bought map will probably call it Lefkosia, its name during early Hellenic times – but pick up a map in the Turkish side and it’s called Nicosia, the name given to it by 12th-Century Lusignan crusaders. Two names, one place – and scale that down to villages and streets and you have a very confusing situation, especially when your map doesn’t reflect the names on street signs…
Maps are a human attempt to remodel reality – and in doing so, they tell a story about the people behind them. They’re cultural archaeology. Pick up a map in another country, and you’re holding something that reflects the way the inhabitants of that country see themselves. In other words, exactly the kind of insight a travel writer is searching for.
6. Maps Help You Connect With People
One of the most basic connections a human being can make with another is to ask for directions. It’s a staple technique for breaking the ice when you travel. (“Excuse me – where am I on here?”) And it’s harder to do that with a digital map – not that you would, of course, because a digital map will probably tell you exactly where you are. And in doing so, it’ll prevent you making new friends.
No fun at all.
7. Maps Are Offline
Oh, the hypocrisy of arguing against digital maps on a website. But we’ve all felt gadget block – the feeling of being distanced from the world by a mechanical middle-man. And when digital maps are running on devices that connect you with a world of online distractions…well, you’re doomed. (That’s why productivity-honing services like StayFocusd are so popular). Do you really want to forget where you’re going because you’re playing Angry Birds?
So, what do you say – analog or digital?
Further reading:
- ”GPS And The End Of The Road” – The New Atlantis
Images: Odense Bys Museer, De Long Wine, TeryKats, Craig Moulding, Caveman Chuck Coker, ancawonka, Lemsipmatt and BinaryApe.
There’s also the small matter of reliability, Mike.
Is it wise to be so dependent on a system that is owned & operated by the USA military to which we are graciously given free access and which, I think I read a while ago, was suffering a technical shortfall in the number of operational satellites? (That’s why the European Union is building Galileo isn’t it?)
And it’s not just the reliability of the satellites or service. I learned to navigate at sea (on yachts) before GPS. As a result, if I lost all electronics & compass out in the middle of the ocean (eg In a lightning strike. Gosh that’s unusual!), I’m proud to say I could work out where I was and where I was going with a sextant, almanac, sight reduction tables, and a pencil.
I truly love GPS with a passion – but I know it’s a gift , not a right.
>>”it’s a gift , not a right.” – beautifully put. And agreed. There’s an element of “not learning to spell because nowadays everything uses spell-check” about GPS that scares me a bit….
I like different types of maps for different purposes, but for general street maps, scale and legibility (in terms of type size and color) are my most important selection criteria. Format is something to think about, too: A huge detailed map can be great when you’ve got it spread out on the kitchen table, but when you’re walking around the city, a compact street atlas is a lot more convenient. The Blay Foldex “Paris par arrondissement” is a pefect example of what a portable street atlas should be: pefectly sized for a coat pocket, plastic-bound for durability, extremely detailed but with readable type, and accompanied by both an index and maps of the local transit systems. If only Blay Foldex made similar street atlases for other cities!
I agree completely! I love maps and try to get my hands on as many as I can. While a GPS is great for pinpointing your location or helping you drive – let’s face it – they’re not perfect. Time goes into making maps and having them in your hands and being able to choose your own course is key!
Great post! I use GPS in the hills and mountains as one of my navigational tools, along with map, compass and watch (Yes, a watch!). Love the speed and accuracy of the GPS, but anything with a battery can (and will) stop working – hopefully at a time when it doesn’t really matter much.
The old tradition of getting the map out in the pub at the end of the day just isn’t the same with only a small screen – the tall stories and unlikely tales have room to expand when you can pass the map around, just don’t use the map as a beer mat!
In my early days as a hitchhiker I grew to rely on the GPS device on my Blackberry wherever I went. Costly, signal often patchy, reliable at best and outright futile at worst, I was frequently utterly and dangerously lost when the one tool I could fall back on refused to function. It’s like the girl you fancy who’s playing hard-to-get – and maps the equivalent of a best friend who’s always there for you and whom you feel mildly attracted to.
And as a ex-geologist I can sympathise with Mike’s adoration of maps; whilst I hated mapping with a scorching detest, I actually rather admire the intricacy and technicality devoted to every marking, every label, every scrawl and every splodge of ink. Beauty.
All excellent points. If I were to add one more – a well made map feels good. Like a sturdy pair of boots, it inspires confidence.
As a former manager of a GIS group for city government, I love how the technology has evolved and has become accessible to the average consumer. I love my iPhone with MotionX and the ability to record and share tracks with others. But I also love and heavily rely on paper maps. While traveling, we use maps primarily for navigation but there are also thematic maps used to analyze and communicate disparate types of information. The US is currently engaged in what may well be the greatest exercise in interpretation and propaganda in the mapping world – the US census. While most of that work will be done in digital form, it isn’t until it’s on paper before a city council or state senate that the interpretation/propaganda is fully consummated.
The point about cultural identity is particularly astute. Psychogeographers for years have explored other interpretive aspects of mapping. What is the emotional landscape of a place, the sensory interpretation and how do you correlate those aspects to the physical landscape? Some add a temporal dimension to maps, representing the compressed history of a place correlated to physical space.
And then — the art. When we create Google maps, we have very little control over symbology or general cartography. Just as it takes a true artist to fully convey a travel experience, it takes a true artist to draw attention to the important aspects of the terrain (or culture, or political milieu).
I recently published a series of how-to posts on my walking blog about using GPS and Google maps tp share favorite walks. I think I’ll create a link to this article to remind people of the respect due the lowly analog map.
Thanks for a great post.
Personally I wouldn’t trust Google Maps to get me home for the very good reason that they show paths to my house that simply don’t exist. If they can’t get that right…
I was taught how to read and use OS style maps a long time ago and am probably (definitely) biased towards them as a way of getting around, especially in the countryside. The fact that good ones act as a tool for actually reading the land has always appealed more than using GPS. But I admit to being a Luddite where hiking and GPS is concerned mainly because using GPS seems to remove the romantically old fashioned ‘tracking’ element to finding your way around the great outdoors.
Sometimes in the middle of the forest when fallen pine needles have obscured any semblance of a track and everywhere looks exactly the same, I’ll sit and study the lay of the land for ages to determine the way ahead. It’s moments like these that reward with the greatest satisfaction. I can’t see any machine ever replacing that.
But it’s horses for courses. Just the other week I found that negotiating the Medina in Marrakech completely confounded BlackBerry, paper maps and inbuilt navigational systems.
Best guide I had was a hand drawn map from the house manager of the riad where I was staying. So my navigational references were a large lady selling eggs, three bollards, a bamboo covered souk, a wheelie bin and the crazy boys. Worked a treat.
Great post…but is travel blogging really about embracing new technology? Maybe that’s a topic for another post :)
Pingback:A month's work at Travelllll.com – Fevered Mutterings
Pingback:Hadrian's Wall - Why Maps Are Sidekicks, Not Leaders – Fevered Mutterings
Pingback:My Generasi « an original thinker