Thursday, August 31, 2006

Death of paper-navigation?

The Independent has an article titled 'Forget the map and just pass me that flat-screen' that declares

'The days when tourists and walkers had to be experts in origami to find out where they were are fast disappearing. These days, an aptitude for new technology is far more useful than a talent for folding and unfolding maps. And developments in electronics mean that "getting lost" could be a thing of the past.

The Royal Geographical Society's annual conference in London heard yesterday how electronic devices combining mobile phones, satellite navigation and digital cameras allow travellers to identify their exact location - and even whether there might be a pub around the corner and what beer is on tap...Electronic devices are providing a traditional two-dimensional map together with "temporal" and "dynamic" information...

...It is "quite possible" even road signs could become superfluous, with motorists relying solely on in-car satellite navigation systems to find their way, Dr Parker added. Clearly, such a move would require more accuracy in the data used to avoid drivers being directed across rivers or over cliff edges by an errant dashboard device.'

Well... paper goes digital it seems...

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