Personalized Maps
Some years ago I had a chat with Don Cooke about his vision of personalized maps. I recall thinking that I’d want a map of great places to fly kites in New England. He was telling me about MAD MAPS, “Backroad touring maps and travel guides featuring scenic byways and drives for ATVs, motorcyles, and cars.” While some people want to collect the data for such maps others just want to use them.
We are far closer to that vision than ever. Print maps as well and online ones are popping up that combine a mode of transport and a theme. I just ran into an article about bike maps that focus on farm stands. Are we getting to a point where online services will let us build these custom “touring” maps by selecting a mode, a theme and a distance? Could I in the next few years have a system that builds me a 45 mile loop in Upstate New York that allows me to visit apple orchards? Or could I have it route me by car to hit minor league ball parks in the south eastern US?
