-------- Original Message --------
Subject: What's in our heads? Followup to: Is GPS All in Our Heads?
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 22:22:29 -0800
From: Virginia R Hetrick PhD <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship <[log in to unmask]>

A gold star to Joel for starting this whole discussion and to Julie
for putting it into this list.

<flame on>

I really don't like most of the GPS systems I've tried out for several
reasons.  But, the most fundamental thing I don't like is the fact
that it's very unusual in the US and southern Canada for me not to
know where I'm going, unless it's new construction, as I've been over
most of the 48 states after living for long periods of time in all
four corners and driven back and forth from one corner to another
probably 50 or 60 times.   So, let me give you several situations
where GPS systems have failed me (or somebody I wound up having to
help out).

1.  Today, I got a request which I thought would be simple to fulfill.
  A friend wanted to know about going from the Smithsonian Metro stop
in DC to the MLK Memorial.  The worst problem is the lack of sidewalks
in certain strategic locations.  GPS was no help checking that out and
I wound up looking at the google street views in the places I
remembered didn't have sidewalks and ultimately solved the problem, no
thanks to anybody's GPS.

2.  About 15 months back, some out-of-towners, in spite of all the
signage warning against taking non-4-wheel drive vehicles and
improperly shod 4-wheel drive vehicles (improperly shod means they
don't have the kind of tires that can stand up to the very sharp
stones characteristic of the area) followed their GPS into an off-road
desert area.  We wound up having to get one of the LEOs with the
proper tires on a 4-wheel drive vehicle to rescue the people and a tow
truck to rescue the vehicle from the off-road area where they had two
flat tires and none of them had adequate water.  We could see them
about 4 miles off road, but couldn't get there because we weren't
intending to play rescue the tourists.  ;~(

3.  Probably the most offensive thing about GPS systems is that what
few map-reading skills school kids used to have are disappearing
because they can't deal with not having a voice to tell them where to
turn, park, etc.

</flame off>

As for myself, I'll continue to stop by the AAA on my way out of town
to collect city maps in case I wind up traveling through newly
constructed areas.  Otherwise, I believe that my 2007 National
Geographic spiral-bound atlas will serve me better than a GPS.

All that said, I am encouraged by the interest in GIS which is
resulting in many students focusing on making maps which means they're
also learning read actual maps.  And, I was pleasantly surprised to
find a graduate student at a certain institution in Los Angeles
actually has, on his cube all, a satellite image overprinted with the
important information he needs to collect his field data for his
thesis.

In conclusion, as it has been for a while, geographically-oriented
skills are unusually spotty.  Sigh!

v
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Virginia R. Hetrick, here in sunny California
Email: Â [log in to unmask]
"There is always hope."
My fave: Â http://www.washington.edu/cambots/camera1_l.jpg
There's no place like: Â 34N 8' 25.40", 117W 58' 5.36"
if you can't be at: Â 48N 6' 59.9" 122W 59' 54.2"
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