Digital Maps Versus Paper Maps

There’s a lot of media buzz recently about not only how amazing digital maps are, but also their failings. Do we rely too much on digital maps? mapsales.com takes a look at how technology has improved the usability of paper maps as well.

If you’re worried about bad weather affecting your paper maps while hiking or skiing, invest in synthetic paper maps. For example, while testing out Google’s Ski Resort coverage at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, you can also take this Grand Teton National Park Map to check out the trails, museums, and other points of interest, without worrying about wear and tear or water stains.

Today we might still recognize the motif of a man refusing to ask for directions, poring over a large paper, fold-out map. That motif may well become obsolete. Our digital devices give a (mostly) precise description of our location and (mostly) correct directions to wherever we’d like to go, even speaking the directions so we don’t have to consult the on-screen map.

However, what happens when technology fails? Apple maps are the most well-known example of this failure, leaving a group in Australian stranded in a national park 40 miles away from their destination. Smaller mistakes do occur, as well as the very real possibility of running out of battery power.

The fact that, as Christine Ortiz notes in Why Digital Maps Aren’t Ready to Replace Paper, military personnel still prefer to consult paper maps, says a lot about the benefit of keeping a paper map backup in your car or backpack. This may be especially handy in areas where satellite coverage is sparse, with maps of the rural areas or National Park Wall Maps.

Check out more wall maps at mapsales.com.