Will we be lost without paper maps in the digital age?

Abstract

Paper has been the format of choice for disseminating geographic information for millennia; however the arrival of the internet and mobile technologies has created new modes of map consumption. This paper investigates the future role of paper mapping in a society where access to online digital mapping is freely available. The research consists of an online survey to investigate how people use and view online/digital and paper maps, together with a task-based user study to investigate the suitability of each map format for a variety of given tasks. Similar to previous research, we categorize participants into two groups (experts and non-experts/novices) based on their level of geographic skill. Results demonstrate that geographic knowledge and the context of use clearly relate to preference of map format. As geographic skill increases, there is a greater preference for paper maps; non-experts prefer online/digital maps. Also, paper is the preferred medium for planning and executing navigation on foot across all groups. Overall, results suggest that paper maps are here to stay for the foreseeable future and remain the preferred choice for some in the digital age.

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“…A leitura de tendências futuras e consecutiva antecipação de ações estratégicas, neste estágio de rápidas transições, são fundamentais para manter a competitividade organizacional (VARUM; MELO, 2009). Por exemplo, a substituição do papel e de fitas, materiais físicos, por arquivos digitais, foi fator predominante no desaparecimento, adaptação, progresso e conflitos de alguns mercados (HURST;CLOUGH, 2013).…”

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“…La integración de la cartografía y los GPS en los teléfonos móviles y en los navegadores para vehículos de carretera abre hoy a la cartografía posibilidades que hace tan solo un par de décadas resultaban simplemente inimaginables (Ramírez: 2011;Hurst y Clough: 2013). Además, la administración pública, sabedora de la utilidad práctica de los mapas para sí misma y para el gran público, ha impulsado la cartografía en España a través de diversos organismos estatales, notablemente el IGN-CNIG, o autonómicos (Núñez: 2012, 582), mientras empresas privadas como Google, el mayor proveedor de productos y servicios en la red, ofrece gratuitamente el servicio de cartografía online más completo a escala mundial.…”

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