Today’s New York Times contains an editorial by Verlyn Klinkenborg titled, “Map Upon Map: New Dimension in What Maps Can Do.” The editorial delves into the functionality of NYCityMap, and explores the benefits and meaning of digital maps.
“It’s easy to assume that the real revolution in mapping is the global positioning satellite and Google revolution — the ability to pinpoint yourself in real time on a digital map using G.P.S. technology and to move effortlessly around the globe, at increasing levels of detail, as you can in Google Maps and Google Earth. But the real revolution lies in the layering of data onto these already kinetic methods of viewing the world. In a very real sense, the virtual planet becomes our index to what we know about the actual planet.”
It’s wonderful to see the growing awareness of digital mapping, and the realization that geographic indexing and display offer a wealth of opportunities to better understand our planet.
