Who uses maps anymore?

[Beest]

On our recent vacation in rural western Michigan, we had one incident where the GPS tried to guide us to our campsite down a tiny track you could maybe have got a Jeep down.

There were several instances where we would come to a four way junction on the GPS and there would be only 3 or 2 visible roads, the other direction was just a field.

Once we stopped trusting it entirely and used map in parallel it was OK

[Lamplighter]

Such an experience gives meaning to "Caveat Emptor"

[xoxoxoBruce]

For most people it's an inconvenience. But the news has way too many stories of people who follow their GPS instructions without thinking, ending up in lakes, rivers, subway tunnels, or on railroad tracks.

[Beest]

I heard an interview with one of the Park Rangers from Death Valley, they rescue 6 or so people in acute ditsress each year, who have been guided up old mining trails that are marked on the map, and run out of gas.
Deaths are not uncommon either.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Beest

On our recent vacation in rural western Michigan, we had one incident where the GPS tried to guide us to our campsite down a tiny track you could maybe have got a Jeep down.

There were several instances where we would come to a four way junction on the GPS and there would be only 3 or 2 visible roads, the other direction was just a field.

Once we stopped trusting it entirely and used map in parallel it was OK

Unfortunately, many people seem to surrender their powers of independent thought and accept what the electronic gizmo tells them to do, to the point of ignoring the evidence of their own eyes.

Locally there is a narrow lane with a couple of houses and a farm entrance. This lane peters out into a rough track and connects the first farm with another on the same estate.

On a number of occasions cars have ventured up there because the satnav told their drivers to do so, despite it being obvious to those with eyes to see, that it is totally unsuited to anything but tractors and agricultural 4 x 4 vehicles.

A few weeks ago I was out with my canine guest at the point where the track becomes unsuitable for cars, when I saw a Saab approaching.

The driver stopped and asked me if he was heading in the right direction for the other farm, but I gently advised him to take the alternative route via the main road if he didn't want to lose his sump.

Quite why this track is shown in satnav systems isn't clear, but no doubt somebody will try again very soon.

The surface is chalk and perilous in wet weather which tends to offer a character forming driving experience.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Brit ~ I say chap, this lane is quite unsuitable for your Saab, Likely to lose your sump, you see. It would be wiser to take the paved way round.

American ~ What are you a fucking moron? Get the fuck outta here, asshole!

[Carruthers]

Phones blamed as mountain alerts hit peak: Relying on navigation apps is leading to more people getting lost, rescue workers say

The mountain rescue team covering Britain's highest peak has blamed record call-outs on the fact walkers rely on smartphones instead of learning to read a map.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue in Scotland, whose area includes 4,409ft Ben Nevis, is normally called out between 70 and 100 times a year. But by yesterday morning it had dealt with 103 alerts in 2015.

Team leader John Stevenson said that as well as the usual issues of bad weather and 'slips and trips', smartphones were causing navigation problems.

He said: 'Navigation has been a big issue this year. People should know how to use a map and compass and not be relying on mobile phones.

'Another big problem has been people not leaving information about where in the hills they are going. We are having to search big areas because of that.'

Earlier this year, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland asked people not to rely on smartphones and GPS devices as navigation tools in the hills.

It urged hill walkers not already versed in the use of a map and compass to learn the skill.

The council's warning was issued ahead of the busy summer walking season.

Safety adviser, Heather Morning, said: 'Aside from the limitations of battery life, reception and limits on using touch screens with gloves on, the issue lies with people, and their ability – or lack of ability – in basic navigation skills.

'A GPS, smartphone or navigation app is unable to read important subtleties, such as a sensible route choice.

'Unless you have already used your navigational abilities to programme in an exact route, it won't direct you away from cliffs or show you the best place to cross a river – or offer an alternative if a bridge is down or the river is in flood.'

Daily Mail

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's easy to believe considering so many people get lost on clearly marked, safe to traverse, paved streets.

[Carruthers]

Having seen this article in our local newspaper yesterday, I thought that it might be worth resurrecting this topic.

First of all, it's sponsored content by the Ordnance Survey (UK Mapping Agency) so there's a commercial axe to grind.

Secondly, no survey that didn't support the commissioning body's interests has ever seen the light of day.

With those caveats in mind, I think that there is probably more than a kernel of truth in it.

Extract....

Brits Can’t Find Capital City

British adults have no idea where Manchester, Birmingham – and even London feature on a map, a study has found. A poll of 2,000 people found more than four in ten struggle to pinpoint the nation’s capital on a map of the UK, while another 86 per cent have no idea where Edinburgh should be. And almost one in ten put the Isles of Scilly, found off the coast of Cornwall, in place of the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, while another one in twenty believe they sit off the western coast of Scotland. The locations of Newcastle, Cardiff and Oxford also left many scratching their heads. It also emerged just four in ten can confidently read a map with another 44 per cent admitting they have no idea what traditional map symbols mean. A spokesman for Ordnance Survey, which commissioned the research as part of National Map Reading Week, taking place in October, said: “Great Britain is relatively small, yet it seems many of us struggle to pinpoint the positions of cities and locations which may not even be that far from where we live.

It always strikes me as a bit odd that so many people have little knowledge, and even less interest, as to how they fit into the great geographic scheme of things.

I've always considered knowing where you are in relation to other towns, villages, landmarks etc as being a fundamental part of our make up.

Perhaps it's just me!

Complete article here: Bucks Herald

[xoxoxoBruce]

It's not just you. I went to a function in Massachusetts, and the host was shocked I found it without GPS. He said how did you manage that? I looked at a map before I left home. I thought he would faint.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

It's not just you. I went to a function in Massachusetts, and the host was shocked I found it without GPS. He said how did you manage that? I looked at a map before I left home. I thought he would faint.

Personal observation suggests that a significant number of drivers are content to enter the destination name or post code and slavishly follow GPS instructions, without briefing themselves on the potential route beforehand.
'Get in and go' seems to be their motto.

[Beest]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

It always strikes me as a bit odd that so many people have little knowledge, and even less interest, as to how they fit into the great geographic scheme of things.

Indeed, and more than just geographically, :sigh:

Jim, those riding maps look excellent.

On our recent trip to Boston I missed having maps to refer to, the GPS will get you there, but it's very narrow, if want to explore the landscape your passing you need a much wider view.

[limey]

Originally Posted by Beest

Indeed, and more than just geographically, :sigh:



Jim, those riding maps look excellent.



On our recent trip to Boston I missed having maps to refer to, the GPS will get you there, but it's very narrow, if want to explore the landscape your passing you need a much wider view.

This.


Sent by thought transference

[Happy Monkey]

The thing about GPSs is that if it does give you a bad route, just skip the turn and keep going until it stops telling you to make a U-turn.

[Sundae]

I love the idea that the satnav took the lorry (with the presumably trapped driver) there. He was obviously just along for the ride.