by Sammy Stein

Created on: February 29, 2008

I was tempted to write to the 'yes' side of this debate because, in theory, it should be possible. GPS should be reliable, accurate and be able to pin-point where we are anywhere on Earth to within a few yards.
However, in reality, I think the many tales of people who have relied on GPS totally and forgone a real map have put people off and even those with GPS often have a map sneakily hidden in the boot just to be sure.

One visitor to England found himself heading up the railway track. His GPS had told him to take the 'next right' and, seeing a gap, he had done just that. What the GPS did not tell him was the next right was after the railway turning. The poor man ended up facing the 11.02 to Liverpool Street which was just about to pull out of the station - funny in hindsight but it could have been much worse!

The Hairy Bikers - a wonderful cookery program hosted by two mavericks who travel round on Harley Davisons- tried to use GPS to get across northern Europe. They had almost run out of petrol and the GPS told them of a garage just round the corner. They drove on and came to the garage - which had been derelict for several years.

GPS is fine in theory and its marketing people will tell us how accurate, reliable and clever the systems are and this is true to some extent - there was indeed a garage where the GPS had told them it was. The GPS system also needs to be kept informed of changes in ownership, status and of the existence of small turnings which could deceive a driver.

Tha fact that and GPS system currently is only as good as the person who programs it and adjusts its accuracy, timing and so on is what lets it down. All GPS system rely on one main location in the USA for their starting reference point and this has to be adjusted daily to take into account the turning of the earth, discrepancies in exact time and so on. A lot of room for error.

My father got himself a GPS system after his brother arrived with one. However, he regretted it almost as soon as he made his first long trip because the GPS system took him by a far longer route with more hold ups, road works and did not allow for any variation in the route but kept to major roads. In the end, my father put it in the glove box and used the map - so he relied on my mother - she is more reliable then Tom any day! And she makes better conversation. My father found the voices of his GPS system really tiresome and repetitive.

So the theory is that GPS could mean the demise of the map but in reality most with GPS will also have a map for back up and until GPS can make the choice of the scenic route or the main road, maps will win out for the seasoned motorist any day.

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