Orientation is an important part of our life. We use clocks to figure out our position on the time axis, and maps help us find our way in unfamiliar spaces, regardless of whether it’s a new city or a strange continent. Maps have been getting more and more detailed, generating them is an increasingly complex and exacting task, so lots more information can be gleaned from them.
And maps sure have changed their appearance! They used to be produced, administered and edited by corresponding institutions; most weren’t very user friendly under the best of circumstances and a real pain in the neck when the weather got a bit blustery; and you even needed certain basic skills to be able to read and understand them in the first place. Plus, users were dependent on supplementary devices like compasses.
Nowadays, many of us have a whole atlas constantly at our side in the form of our smartphone. And you no longer need a compass; it’s built in. GPS indicates your current location, exact to within a few meters, and the map swivels automatically in the direction you’re going. So if you’re not in uncharted territory and you get lost anyway, then you have only yourself to blame. On the other hand, if you actually are way off the beaten path where no mapmaker has gone before, you could engage in some do-it-yourself cartography—you can supplement Google Maps or Open Street Map, enrich the maps with information about shops, bars and observation platforms, insert photos and videos, and even correct buildings’ addresses. You might choose to check out other people’s favorite spots, or leave behind your own tags to alert them to really great stuff you’ve discovered.
With the introduction of Indoor Maps, Google is navigating to the next level, presenting technology that conducts users inside buildings such as museums, shopping centers and concert halls. The Ars Electronica Center is already part of this project. Via Google Maps, you’ll soon be able to check us out online from inside as well. We’re looking forward to being seen by you!