Paper Maps Being Phased Out

Tuesday May 27th 2008
Filed Under Maps 

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on the phasing out of the cartography division that serves the California State Automobile Association.   By the end of the year, the twelve-person cartographic unit will be disbanded with mapping services done only by AAA’s national headquarters in Heathrow, Florida.  The cause for the demise is the widespread availability of online map directions and in-car navigation units which cut demand for the paper maps by 13% in 2007.  The high degree of research needed to keep current with local changes in roadways and street name changes leads some to question how well the national office will be able to provide accurate local maps.  “I don’t know if (AAA has) the resources, now that this is suddenly dumped in their laps,” said Curtis Carroll, sales and marketing director of Benchmark Maps, also in Medford, Ore.  Carroll further predicated highly detailed local papers maps will be a thing of the past: “Street maps with the level of detail as we know it on a paper sheet may not be with us in a decade,” Carroll said.





Read More

  • Paper maps falling by the roadside
  • Crime Mapping - Step by Step
  • New Life for Old Maps - San Francisco, CA
  • Coming soon to a gas station near you
  • National Institute of Justice’s MAPS Program

    • « Traveling from Canada to Australia Requires a Kayak | Main | OGC Interoperability Days - Potsdam, Germany - 3-4 June 2008 »

    Comments

    One Response to “Paper Maps Being Phased Out”

    1. Matt Rosenberg on May 29th, 2008 8:19 am

      Great post Caitlin! I have to take issue with the comments by Curtis Carroll in regard to the demise of detailed maps - is he not aware of highly detailed street atlases available for many cities, such as those produced by Thomas Bros.?

    Leave a Reply