Navigating with Maps

Abstract

The transformation of how maps are used has accelerated over recent decades. Before paper maps became an ordinary tool, we read our territory with the help of mental maps. Until the nineteenth century, access to hand-drawn maps was very limited owing to cost and the production process. Later on, paper maps became more easily available to a wider audience. The arrival of the internet ushered in digital maps, and their diverse uses, together with the extensive capabilities of mobile technologies. In this paper, we look at different types of map (mental maps, paper maps and digital maps), the ways in which they are used as orientation tools within a given environment, their relationship to each other, and the transition from one type to another. All types of map influence how we perceive our surroundings and how we experience them. Recent technological advancements will only become more integrated into our everyday life; this, in turn, will open up exciting opportunities for map users to read their territories, while creating possible disruptions. Future research will demonstrate how digital maps affect our perceived space and the consequences that flow from this.

Authors’ Note

This paper was extracted from the chapter of a doctoral thesis that covers other aspects of urban knowledge from a data visualization perspective. A summary of this piece of research can be found in Mikulcik B. (2019). The authors wish to acknowledge their discussions with Andreas Bina, who enjoys discovering a city without the immediate help of a digital map, and with tech-savvy Reshmy Viswanath, who cherishes technological advancements whenever available.