by Hai Shunxi

Created on: November 26, 2009

Global Positioning System (GPS) technology became useful to consumers in 2000 when "Selective Availability" was discontinued. At that time, high-accuracy satellite positioning became available to everyone, not just the military. The increased accuracy made the technology far more attractive for personal use; and when combined with falling costs as the volume of GPS-enabled devices increased, has been instrumental in replacing paper maps with computer chips. It gets clearer every day that many GPS users have no intention of ever gazing upon a paper map again.

Is this a good thing? Not necessarily. Is it going to happen anyway? Oh, most assuredly.

GPS technology has logistical advantages over conventional maps, that's clear. Drive your GPS-equipped car across a continent, and you'll never need to stop for a new map; never have to try to puzzle out distances, never have to try to fold or unfold giant sheets seemingly designed by Satan's minions. Your little friend can zoom out to show the whole route on one screen, or zoom in to show just the block you're on at this moment... and then this moment. For a few dollars extra, your GPS unit recites directions in a sultry voice so you need not take your eyes off the road. Want a satellite view of your location instead of a lines and symbols? No problem. Alone in a car? You can keep driving instead of having to pull over to puzzle over a conventional map. Systems now even include the locations of chain restaurants, service stations, hotels, and the like.

Hand-held GPS units and GPS-enabled smartphones may not be quite so full-featured and they have smaller screens, but the inherent advantages remain the same. The main reason why most people own a GPS, however, can be summed up with one sentence: "You don't need to be able to read a map to use one."

GPS units do have their disadvantages, too. The cost of owning and maintaining one far exceeds that of paper maps, many of which are free. Since the technology is almost entirely microcircuitry, a GPS must be replaced instead of repaired if broken. For some, the learning curve for the technology can be steep. Handheld units require recharging or battery replacements at inconvenient intervals. Some cell-phone providers add to the expense by charging extra for the service. A major advantage of conventional maps is that users do not travel "with blinders on," allowing them to consider alternate routes and see potential points of interest that are off-screen on a GPS.

A rarely-considered disadvantage is that the electronic databases that underlie the mapping system are error-prone, and those errors often remain uncorrected. What good is super-precise satellite location if the address in the database places you three blocks from its ground location? GPS units are not foolproof, and assuming that they are has gotten users into trouble.

The biggest advantage of GPS over conventional maps is that many people never learn how to read a map - and fewer still learn how to make one. Glance through your telephone book's yellow pages, and you'll find maps that have no scale and no orientation, and that misrepresent the positions and relationships of roads and landmarks. Once you've learned how to read maps, you can find your way with any properly-drawn map; but a badly-drawn map is often more confusing than useful. Sadly, there are far more badly-drawn maps out there than properly-drawn ones. At least with a GPS, the mapping is of consistent quality.

So YES: GPS units will replace conventional maps, in fact have already replaced them in many users' minds. This technology makes it easier for the geographically-challenged to find their way; and in this era, being easier is what it's all about.

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