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Traditional maps 'superior to online maps'

05 September 2008

Ordnance Survey maps depict important landmarks
 
Traditional maps – such as Ordnance Survey maps – are superior to Internet-based map services, an industry expert has suggested.

According to the President of the British Cartographic Society, Mary Spence, Internet maps often leave out features that are crucial to understanding the landscape, reports the BBC® website.

Moreover, Mary Spence said that key landmarks, which are part of our national heritage, are often not included on internet-based maps.

According to the news provider, she argued: ‘Corporate cartographers are demolishing thousands of years of history – not to mention Britain's remarkable geography – at a stroke by not including them on maps which millions of us now use every day’.

Ms Spence expressed the worry that landmarks, including churches and stately homes, are at risk of being forgotten, as they might not be included on Internet maps.

However, it was suggested in a letter recently published in The Independent® that new technologies are increasingly being successfully fused with Ordnance Survey maps so that motorists can accurately plan routes which show detailed landmarking along the way.

Richard Calthrop-Owen said that people can still explore interesting landscapes but they can now combine the high-quality Ordnance Survey maps with satellite technology to ensure they ‘get the best of both worlds’.

BBC is a registered trademark of The British Broadcasting Corporation. The Independent is a registered trademark of Independent News and Media Ltd.

 
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