I've had quite a few conversations (rants?) about this over the past few months. And usually the example I use is maps, mapping applications and the ability to navigate myself somewhere with or without an internet connection and/or GPS connection. Today, having seen the iOS6 mapping updates, seems like an appropriate time to actually write a blog post about it. So here goes...

When I was on a recent trip to North Yorkshire, I had no mobile internet connection, and therefore couldn't use my iPhone to help me in my travels. Fortunately, my travel buddy had brought a GPS car navigation unit with her and so we used that. North Yorkshire is reasonably familiar to me, I know the rough layout of the place, I recognised the names of major towns, and the seaside places. I had also printed out directions from the train station to our accommodation as a back-up plan. On our journey back to the train station, we did a detour to Riveaulx Abbey, beautiful place incidentally, and so were "off route". Still, it didn't matter, we had the GPS unit to help us. Only it got confused and lost itself. And therefore us. Fortunately a reboot worked and got us back on track in time to catch our train. But I didn't have a clear idea of which direction to head in - we were amongst familiarly named market towns, but I wasn't sure which order I should be driving through them. I was disoriented. (I've since bought ForeverMap and downloaded the UK map so that I'm not in this position again - it uses an offline map. I do try and learn from my experiences.)

We have a collection of OS maps at home which we use when wandering in the South Downs with the dog. We often use an iPhone, and the excellent GB Locate, as a confirmation of where we are and are heading, rather than as a mapping/route planning tool in this scenario as the resolution/positioning on an iPhone isn't currently reliable/precise enough, so we do observation and paper maps first, iPhone second. This is probably the way I should approach all of my travels - have a vague idea of the geography, and some printed out details, augmented by an iPhone/GPS unit.

I think that technological solutions should be augmenting my existing skills, not replacing them. It's very easy to rely on the tiny screen in my pocket all the time rather than orient myself initially. As a colleague just said, he mostly needs directions when he is in an unknown city. At that point, when he is in a more vulnerable position, the last thing he needs is unwanted attention from someone who wishes to remove his shiny screen from him. I'm not sure many people have been mugged for a street atlas.  

Today, the reliance on maps within the iPhone has been displayed for all to see, there is already a tumblr account featuring some of the worst examples. This highlights what I mean. We have become dependent on these devices to help us locate ourselves and the places we wish to visit. How many people still have a road atlas in their car? I'm not sure we do actually - I might have to check that and fix it. Some of the items I kept when emptying my family home were the route plans Dad had ordered from the AA in the 60s. They're incredible. Turn by turn instructions, with maps etc. Not as usable as a GPS based system when the technology works. But a damn site better when it doesn't. And some of the route planners were to get him to the highlands of Scotland, which I suspect still doesn't have the best coverage of mobile internet.

Basically, I want technology to help me but not to make me so reliant on it that if I end up somewhere without mobile phone coverage I can't cope. I know this means that I have to think about things more, to consider what my "if it goes wrong" plan is, and not become reliant on this shiny pocket sized device. I probably also should pop the road atlas back into the car. Just in case.

Basically, I want technology to help me but not to make me so reliant on it that if I end up somewhere without mobile phone coverage I can't cope. I know this means that I have to think about things more, to consider what my "if it goes wrong" plan is, and not become reliant on this shiny pocket sized device. I probably also should pop the road atlas back into the car. Just in case.