Just how seriously to take this I don't know, but most people here are more interested in old OS maps which are on-line anyway. I'm not sure that I would be happy to do the Cotswold Way just using my android phone, but maybe I'm a Luddite.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/19/end-of-the-road-ordnance-survey-rachel-hewitt 

Ordnance Survey are commited to maintaining their coverage of paper maps.

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2014/03/maintaining-national-coverage-of-paper-maps-in-great-britain-commitment-from-ordnance-survey/ 

I enjoyed reading that artical, it reminded me of me in a lot of ways.
Interesting that following the links to the "mastermap" requires you to register before telling you how much it costs??

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I am currently in France, using that country's equivalent of the OS maps. The difference is that I do that on my iPad.
It costs a measly ten quid a year for the service. It covers all scales from whole country down to street map with house numbers. It is storable for offline use and has GPS built in.

Why can't the OS do that?

I am currently in France, using that country's equivalent of the OS maps. The difference is that I do that on my iPad.
It costs a measly ten quid a year for the service. It covers all scales from whole country down to street map with house numbers. It is storable for offline use and has GPS built in.

Why can't the OS do that?

France has had a long run of socialist governments perhaps?

I am currently in France, using that country's equivalent of the OS maps. The difference is that I do that on my iPad.
It costs a measly ten quid a year for the service. It covers all scales from whole country down to street map with house numbers. It is storable for offline use and has GPS built in.

Why can't the OS do that?

France has had a long run of socialist governments perhaps?

France has many 1:25000 (UK OS 2 1/2 inch to the mile)maps. They have tracks and footpaths printed almost like motorways - horrible black lines, and in the Pyrenees the parts in Spain have pretty well blanks. so apart from that the French maps are OK. I buy the IGN series and like them. Not tried them online yet, but as anl old fogey I like to have printed maps when I wander about new terrain. Just don't trust electronic methods, just yesterday the Satnav on my French hire car directed my to an airport but was 4 kms away from the actual airport, it was the town the airport was close too.

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If you are now in France, Google for iPhiGeNie.
Download the app to your device and get a free month subscription.

I use Quo 2 from Mapyx Ltd & for a monthly subscription of £9.99 I get full digital OS map coverage of the entire country.

That does include 1:25000 Explorer maps.

I still prefer a paper map while out though.

Chris

just yesterday the Satnav on my French hire car directed my to an airport but was 4 kms away from the actual airport,

If you fly with a well-known Irish budget airline, that's a lot closer than you normally reckon on being. Mind you if you fly into Schiphol you land at least 4k away from the terminal. The one advantage paper maps do have over the electronic version mentioned by m'learned friend currently on tour (in Tours?) in France is that they can be used as a sunshade behind the windscreen, propped against the mirror.

Computing and children's facility with them will see things like simplified GIS being taught in humanities and smartphone gadgets for the lazy.

Field technicians are often still into logging on paper and using hand drawn maps to aid writing up back at HQ.

I think this is merely because a decent size tablet ( try 18" or so) has failed to materialise.

The OS digital data and certain licences are very expensive indeed. I think it's true that the weirdy beardy geographer with his field notebook, compass and wax jacket are in the process of evolving into some app

Agree with Drillbilly
Just checked out the website - the difference between what you get for free and what you pay for at £8 / month or £100's seems only to be wider coverage and multiple use.
For the average person, the amount of times they would use a map, the free service suffices and the subscription services therefore can only be aimed at the researcher etc.
I would use it more and would subscribe if it was £10 / year

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I rather agree with Drillbilly. I worked in the construction industry all my life and despite using computers as a design tool for the last 20 years or so, I still find A-format printouts the best way of grasping an idea in 2D and 3D and explaining it to others. What would be really useful is a large format tablet that you could take on to a site without risk of damage and its a pity that the opportunity hasn't been grasped yet, unless someone out there knows different, of course. I little off topic, but I now that have a little arthritis in my thumbs I find a lot of small portable devices irksome and can never figure out how you can clasp the darn things in order to phone your wife without you making drastic adjustments to your settings by touching the screen in the attempt. I'd like to see some ergonomically designed devices for those of us who do not possess an over-developed fifth digit.

I enjoyed reading that artical,

Likewise.

I think one crucial point that the Guardian writer failed to mention however is what awfully bad company users of electronic navigation devices can be. Walking along with their faces stuck to a screen like teenagers watching YouTube on a bus whilst give you a minute-by-minute running commentary on how far is left to go and telling you that you need to bear left at the next crag when you can see the frigging path running all the way to the summit/mine/whatever... ::)

And how do you take an accurate bearing? The base plate on my compass is bigger than the screen on my phone... :bored:

Acer do an 18.4 tablet PC thing and if it's portable, I'd get it. I use an iphone, which is a good phone, but for showing things to clients, it falls short. Laptops are no good. Essentially, I want to be able to toggle between various maps/layers with ease and interact with it readily. For poking around myself, it tends to be A4 snippets I can graffiti. I don't think any tablet app will replace a raw scribble, however many people will go for some sort of palmtop.

To drag this thread back to mining!
I must add that whilst I have mine plans on CD Rhom and whilstt I peruse them there, I much prefer the paper copy, and I am sure the majority of OS users will feel likewise.
These snippets you get this hand held GPS type unit do not give you the overall picture of an area.
Also what about the realibilty of these units? I remember my son buying one about two years ago, we used it a few times and then, out of its short guarantee period it packed up.
I cannot see this happening with paper, along as you keep it out of the wind, and away from a source of ignition!

I thought that the sage advice was to always have a paper map along with you in any case to revert back to when your batteries run out, your screen cracks, you drop your GPS on a pointy rock, the earths magnetic field suddenly reverses or the Lizard King smites the satellites from the skies. All rather inconvenient in the middle of a Sunday walk.

I thought that the sage advice was to always have a paper map along with you in any case to revert back to when your batteries run out, your screen cracks, you drop your GPS on a pointy rock, the earths magnetic field suddenly reverses or the Lizard King smites the satellites from the skies. All rather inconvenient in the middle of a Sunday walk.

I think you're spot on there. The younger generation might like their toys but you can't go wrong with a paper print. Resolution size and scale are always going to be shite on these electronic things.

I thought that the sage advice was to always have a paper map along with you in any case to revert back to when your batteries run out, your screen cracks, you drop your GPS on a pointy rock, the earths magnetic field suddenly reverses or the Lizard King smites the satellites from the skies. All rather inconvenient in the middle of a Sunday walk.

I think you're spot on there. The younger generation might like their toys but you can't go wrong with a paper print. Resolution size and scale are always going to be shite on these electronic things.

New event: Loom Breaking Trip, this Saturday. Please bring your own hammer. Or rock, if a hammer is too technologically advanced. Shouldn't we be corresponding by letter?

Sent by map enthusiast from new electronic thing.
🙂

New event: Loom Breaking Trip, this Saturday. Please bring your own hammer. Or rock, if a hammer is too technologically advanced. Shouldn't we be corresponding by letter?

Sent by map enthusiast from new electronic thing.
:)

😉

I see your point - I have a GPS app on my phone, I don't own a proper GPS thingy mainly due to cost. I still think if I did I'd be uncomfortable without a paper map at least as a backup in any situation where I really needed to navigate.

From a pleasure point of view it's so much nicer to view a whole map rather than a small screens worth.

From a pleasure point of view it's so much nicer to view a whole map rather than a small screens worth.

Completely agree. One of the pleasures of a large map (particularly an OS with contours) is getting a broader context of the surrounding area. We also like to spot place names that could feature as paint colours in a W&N watercolour box. Quite a good game for long road journeys too (if rather off topic).