Will paper maps disappear?
While it's true that technology has and will continue to change just about everything around us, a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle made it sound like paper maps were coming to an end as a result of GPS devices that seem to have become so ubiquitous these days. I think the rumors of the death of paper in this instance are overstated.
The article was really about the California State Automobile Association (also known as the Auto Club) shifting its map making services from in-house to AAA national headquarters in Heathrow, FL, and notes that free maps are still hugely popular as a membership perk. If this is correct, then why would paper maps disappear?
Whether through a GPS device or on paper, map making requires significant research and updating for accuracy. On the global scene, names of countries seem to change weekly, and domestically new streets and developments pop up all the time.
In fact, the proliferation of GPS units has sparked yet a newer updating need ... to capture the "landscape," whether natural or man made. Mobile trucks travel around taking photos of thoroughfares in an effort to keep up with landmarks, stores and services along the way, which are then offered as referrals to GPS device subscribers. And who is one of the main players in this field? The AAA that passes these referrals along to members seeking lodging, restaurants and services in unfamiliar communities.
Some who learn about these roving picture snappers worry that their photos will appear in someone's GPS scanner. Not so -- people are erased from these images and the landscape and its businesses remain.
GPS services are cropping up in cell phones, laptop computers and who-knows-where-else. The digitizing and updating of maps will continue to be a growth industry. However, there will always be a need for a paper map, whether for tech-deprived tourists, oldsters, technology have-nots or just nostalgia buffs.
Are we there yet ??
Chris Crawford
Photo credit = Microsoft clip art