Digital vs Paper Maps: Which is Better?

MapPrinter.com
Jul 24, 2017 · 3 min read

It’s another battle of the tried-and-true versus the latest-and-greatest. In today’s mobile world, are paper maps being rendered irrelevant by their digital counterparts? Surprisingly, there’s a lot of academic research on this issue — and many opinions…

Across the Board Issues
All maps — whether they be digital or paper, present issues. Some areas, especially rural ones, offer limited map data, making accurate maps (of any kind) difficult to source. Some suffer obvious errors or exclusions that don’t uncover themselves until you’re on a path previously untraveled. And all types of maps can become quickly outdated as roads are closed, built, or rerouted. But does one type of map offer distinct advantages over the other?

Trusted and True

Studies have shown we still like paper versions of things. We trust them more, and find their reliability and sometimes usability fares better than digital options — and this includes maps. Between technical difficulties, spotty signal coverage, and loss of battery power, many simply prefer paper maps. It’s hard to dispute the merits of a good paper map. Tattered and torn, with notes scribbled thereon, paper maps offer a steadfast security blanket for many a navigator. Paper is the preferred medium for planning and executing navigation on foot in all groups. In fact, as geographic skill increases, so does the preference for paper maps. If paper maps have a primary fault, however, it’s that they do not tell you where you are — a primary issue on unmarked roads or in areas that don’t seem to match reference points on a map. They may also cover only a limited area, or larger-sized area, but in lesser detail. However they orient us in a way that fosters our ability to better navigate in the future. Rather than offering step-by-step directions to be mindlessly followed, paper maps help us engage with surroundings and directional orientations, building familiarity with places along the way and imprinting data vividly and permanently in the mind.

New and Improved

In the grand scheme of things, GPS maps and online versions, such as those by Google, have just arrived. Non-experts prefer them, in large part for their ability to calculate where they are at any given time, and deliver them where they’re going (including turn-by-turn directions), via simple data input. Easy and fun to use, they can point you to the closest curvy road for maximum driving enjoyment — or the closest gas station or coffee bar — all while monitoring your driving speed, arrival time/distance, and traffic conditions. Full maps for the country are always at-hand…. Provided power, service, ability to operate, and available data. Who hasn’t attempted to peck an address into a digital mapping service to find it non-existent (or only mappable via a precise text combination that requires 57 attempts to find)? Or tried to update software deemed too old by the manufacturer? (Sorry, that’ll be hundreds for a new one, thanks. Enjoy your new heavy-metal-infused paperweight.) Or accidentally brushed the screen to delete an entire pre-loaded route? Or been left stranded by a low battery? Far more dangerous, digital map ‘navigators’ often assume computer-based superiority. Examples abound, including the case of the USS Guardian naval ship, which ran aground on the environmentally-sensitive Tubbataha Reef in the Philippine Sea — misplaced eight nautical miles by a digital map. Cut into 3-parts for removal, the loss of the $277 million dollar ship and subsequent $1.97 million in damages paid to restore and protect the reef has prompted the Navy to advise other ships to compare electronic charts to paper ones in determining directions.

Map beauty may be in the eye of the beholder. But in the very least, a paper backup plan appears to be a good idea. Overall, it appears paper maps are here to stay for the foreseeable future — and still remain the preferred choice for many. As experts in the map printing industry, though, we tend to be biased.

This post was originally published at http://mapprinter.com/2017/07/11/digital-vs-paper-maps-which-is-better/

Written by

We can help you bring your project to life with a wide variety of specialty equipment and printing substrates!

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade