Britons are losing touch with their cultural heritage because they
rely on satnavs and interSatnavsnet maps, which lack the rich detail of
conventional maps.
Mary Spence, president of the British Cartographic Society, said electronic maps are basic and too often inaccurate.
'There is a danger children are losing skills because adults are
being exposed to mapping that is a second-rate product,' said Mrs
Spence.
'People are scared of maps, but they should not be.
Anyone who has the intelligence to get on the internet and work out
where they are going surely has the ability to look at a map and see
what the symbols mean.'
Mrs Spence said projects such as Open
Street Map, in which thousands of Britons have used their local
knowledge to map pubs, landmarks and even post boxes online, are the
first step in the fightback against 'corporate blankwash'.
