Faster Maps Through Technology

by Dave Luna on

The great duo of Lewis and Clark trekked across unexplored territory without the aid of GPS, satellite radio, and No Doz. Suckers, indeed! Thankfully, it’s the 21st century, and your roadtrips can be just as productive with less effort.

These days, the savvy traveler doesn’t need to track his movements across these great United States in a leather-bound journal. All one needs is a GPS receiver capable of logging waypoints. Simply set the receiver to record, toss it onto a dash or onto a pack, and get moving. Once you’ve arrived at your destination, download the GPS data onto a computer and feed it into the free, web-based GPS Visualizer. GPS Visualizer analyzes this data and creates a map as a JPEG, Google Map, or a Google Earth file.

It really can’t get much simpler to chronicle your travels, and with all of that extra time you’ve saved, you can think about how you just one-upped two of history’s greats.

Virtual Land Preservation

by Dave Luna on

Last month, Microsoft launched Virtual Earth 3D. The product is essentially Google Earth, but in a browser and with cleaner building imagery. Though, I’m not here to talk about who has the better interface or prettier pictures. I’ll leave that up to the qualified people like our friends at Download Squad.

I’m more concerned with how advertising can affect these virtual environments. Yes, Microsoft already has plans in the works to inject virtual billboards into their 3D Earth construct. Obviously, since it’s their product, they can do as they see fit with their version of the globe. However, imagine these ads as ubiquitous as South of the Border and Wall Drug signs. For instance, outfitters could pepper the summit of Mount Rainier with icons of boots and granola bars. Also, advertising could turn the Great Wall of China into the next Las Vegas Strip with flashing faux-neon cowboys flanking the World Wonder.

Sure, the addition of advertisements is a hardly as questionable as — say — putting our National Parks into the hands of catering companies, but it does cheapen the experience of seeing places you’d love to visit. I’ll pose the question to you, dear reader: Is there such a thing as the responsible treatment of land when transitioning from the real world to the virtual world?