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IS A NEW TYPE OF ONLINE MAP REQUIRED? A brief examination of old and existing styles of maps (regional and street level), and possible designs for a better online source of maps

Malcolm Sutherland (June 2013)

This document is copyright of the author, and must not be distributed, copied or used for commercial purposes without the authors permission. Where applicable, images have been properly referenced.

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

Background
Maps have been in use in Scotland ever since James IV commissioned spies to produce detailed maps in the 15th century as part of his policy to tame the northwest Highlands. However, it was not until the 19th century when printing presses produced accurate, userfriendly maps for businesspeople and tourists. Print-based maps are still widely used today. Computer-generated maps have existed for over 30 years. In the 1990s, GIS mapping tools became an internationally recognised hallmark, especially among engineering firms and local government offices. Unlike paper maps (e.g. the OS maps), a computer-generated map can be altered in scale; and the user can navigate up and down, left and right, without necessarily falling off the map. Online maps have been provided on the internet for over a decade. Streetmap.co.uk has existed since 2002, and has proved invaluable, not least because post codes are stored online and can be located within a few clicks. Another significant asset of Streetmap.co.uk is the variety of scales - from maps spanning several regions, right down to maps showing just a few streets (all of them named). Google maps and AA maps have existed for several years, and drivers can use online route planners. Several businesses insert Google maps onto their websites, which automatically shows a local region with their address marked on the map. From around 2004, aerial and 3D map sites have become mainstream. Google Earth has provided detailed aerial photography of nearly every terrestrial region in the world. Some websites show maps of local regions or districts in 3D, including industrial and historical buildings. The key advantage of online maps is that they can be updated at any time. Despite all these advances, some streets are not shown properly, and certain information (e.g. traffic flow) is limited or missing. Online maps often show streets which are not the correct shape or at the proper scale (but are merely rectangles, which seem to be e.g. 200 metres wide). A third problem is that online maps (namely Google maps) appear bland, and sometimes a post code may be located in a sea of featureless green or brown. Some online maps can appear simplistic and drab. In the 1970s, Steve Jobs infamously designed and proposed the use of a wide variety of calligraphic, beautiful fonts for documents on computers. Up until then, printouts from computers were in plain, clunky text (e.g. Courier). If Steve Jobs need not be remembered for Apple Inc, then he should be remembered for introducing a wide range of artistic font styles. Likewise, is it time to jazz up online maps, and make them more accurate, and more aesthetically pleasing? Is there really a need for this? Would this be practical and affordable? More importantly, has someone done something like this already? This report is not comprehensive. This provides a quick overview of old and current map styles which can be found in print and online, as well as a possible design for a different, more interesting style of online map.
Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

An overview of some on-print mapping styles

Before the 20th century Until the late 19th century, maps were generally strong on artistic/technical drawing style, and weak on accuracy. Old maps contained details about parishes, farmsteads, churches, castles and ports, sometimes with little drawings. Before the 19th century, British maps were not drawn to scale, and the coastlines on maps were often so imprecise that sailors generally did not use them. This changed during the 19 th century, mainly because the British Empire relied on extensive rail and sea commerce and a huge navy, which needed more precise drawings showing distances between towns and the exact shape of the coastline. Pre-20th century maps are not relevant for this report. Early 20th century map (1910) Many people in their 30s and older may remember attending geography classes at school, where a large, colourful map hung on the wall, with the land painted in various shades of green and beige to denote the height above sea level. This style was already in use around a century ago. The image over-page is scanned from a guidebook, Cambridge County Geographies: Fifeshire, published in 1910. Interesting features to note include: Strong coloration denoting the height above sea level (green = 0 250ft; pale yellow = 250 500ft; etc). Thick black lines denote railways, with a simple score denoting a station. Small, italicised Times font is used for villages and small towns; large towns are noted in capital letters. Very large, spaced capital font is used to name regions (e.g. Western Division of Fife). Simple brush marks are used to indicate hills (not very accurate). Small black rectangles show built-up areas (perhaps confusing beside a railway). Thin black lines denote rivers (again, rather confusing beside a railway). Unpainted areas are outside Fife (this draws the readers attention back into the Fife area). It should be noted that this map (shown over-page) fitted into an A6-sized sheet, and many names and features were hard to see without glasses or a magnifying glass. (The image over-page is therefore blown up to around 2 times the size.)

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

A section of West Fife, in a map published in 1910 by Cambridge County Geographies, Scotland

Mid-20th century road map (print, scans available online) British maps used in mid-20th century road atlas books were approaching the standard styles and features seen on todays maps. This was around the time when the standard OS map was evolving. As seen in the two images over-page, main roads are red; minor roads were yellow; and some town residential streets are shown in white. The conurbation is indicated, either in black lines (showing tenements) or in grey hatchings. The railway is a thick black line, and the railway station a black rectangle. An airport is indicated with a plane in a circle. The background is a pale green (this refers to land less than 200ft above sea level) (other colours are used for higher ground). In many ways the map is more functional rather than artistic. However, the font is a very old Times style, as if someone had carefully scribbled the names.
Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

Manor houses, race courses, granges, village inns and even a hospital are marked on the map perhaps a little too quaint by todays standards.

An excerpt from a mid 20 century road atlas showing York and the surrounding countryside (taken from www.oldemaps.co.uk, June 2013)

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An excerpt from a mid 20 century road atlas showing St Andrews and the surrounding countryside (taken from www.oldemaps.co.uk, June 2013)

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Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

Maps from a tourist guidebook to Scotland (Ernest Benn Ltd, 1947) This old, A6-sized, blue hardback book contained maps of various scales and styles. Some of the maps appear to have been drawn by hand, and the style is still heavily artistic compared with many styles of maps used today. 1: map showing the East Neuk of Fife This map appears bland, with white land and pale blue seas; large think black lines for the railways; and very thin double lines for roads. This reflects the different priorities back then, when few people had cars, and shipping lanes were much more important. There are also faint dotted lines which probably denote the height above sea level, as well as some dotted lines around the coastline for sand banks.

Map of the East Neuk of Fife (taken from Muirheads Scotland the Blue Guides; Ernest Benn Ltd, 1947)

2: map showing the environs of Glasgow (over-page) This style is more familiar, and similar to that used for road atlases around the time, with green parkland, red (main) roads, black rectangles for housing, thick black lines for railways, and italicised black font for parks, districts, the river and significant buildings.
Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

Map of the Environs of Glasgow (taken from Muirheads Scotland the Blue Guides; Ernest Benn Ltd, 1947)

3: map of Stirling and the surrounding area This smaller-scale map employs a rather odd style somewhere between those of the colourful Glasgow map, and the bland East Neuk map. Roads are indicated in bold or thin pale orange lines, and the towns using a simple hatching. The features (especially the river, the sketchy thin orange lines of residential streets, and the rather misshaped castle) appear to be hand-drawn.

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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Map of Stirling and surroundings (taken from Muirheads Scotland the Blue Guides; Ernest Benn Ltd, 1947)

4: map showing St Andrews town centre This street-level map appears fairly similar to the St Andrews street maps which were available in stationery shops during the 1990s, except that buildings are shown in a pale pink colour (with important buildings in darker beige), and the sizes and shapes of streets and wynds are carefully recorded. Every local Fifer knows that Market Street widens and then becomes very narrow towards Castle Street (also a very narrow street). Parkland (including the cemetery near the cathedral) is shown in green. The rocks and cliffedge are etched, but not in too much detail.

Map of the streets in St Andrews (taken from Muirheads Scotland the Blue Guides; Ernest Benn Ltd, 1947)

5: Street map of Dunfermline black and white) The image over-page is a very basic, but fairly accurate, map of the streets in the centre of Dunfermline. Buildings are hatched; important buildings are solid black (with crosses denoting churches). The park is filled with dashed lines and some smatterings of dots and small circles. There is a rather confused mixture of fonts, with a 1930s Broadway font for street names, and the Times font for other features. Some text is obscured within the hatchings (where there are buildings).

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

Map of the streets in Dunfermline (taken from Muirheads Scotland the Blue Guides; Ernest Benn Ltd, 1947)

A 1950s street map of St Andrews (taken from a tourist guide book) A much better and prettier street map was produced for tourists visiting St Andrews during the 1950s, within the St Andrews Standard Guide pamphlet (undated, probably produced by the St Andrews town hall). A section of this map is shown in great detail over-page. The text is spread apart. Every street is carefully marked out, according to its shape and length. The cathedral and castle are marked out in bold capital letters. Paths are shown with dotted lines. The railway is a thick black line. Important buildings are hatched; other buildings are outlined. A late 20th century map showing places of interest (the University of St Andrews, post-1970) In more recent years, tourists have been provided with maps with drawings of buildings and monuments superimposed on them. The map is evidently hand-drawn, and more focussed on artistic style rather than accuracy almost a harking back to pre-19th century maps.

Tourist map of St Andrews (date unknown, image sourced from the University of St Andrews, June 2013)

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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Section from a street map of St Andrews, taken from the St Andrews Standard Guide pamphlet (1950s)

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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OS Maps (also seen on Streetmap) Ordinance Survey maps were designed and used by the British military in the interwar years. OS maps have been bought and sold in the shops for over 70 years. Although certain features have been changed over the decades, the general layout and appearance of the OS map has remained fairly constant. Perhaps their most radical feature was the use of km instead of miles a feature which still frustrates drivers! 2cm per km maps The 1:50000 (i.e. 1cm representing a distance of 50000cm (500m)) scale maps are generally the most popular, and they are usually the first to appear in a Streetmap result. Key features include: There is no background colour; instead, contours are used to show the altitude. Motorways are blue; dual carriageways and trunk A roads are green; other A roads are red; B roads orange; other main roads are yellow (and thin countryroads also yellow); and residential streets are white. Railways are still black, but stations are a pink circle. The sea is a very pale blue. Each square kilometre is marked. No street names are visible, but the conurbation is shown in a pale beige shape. Woodlands are shown in green. Cliffs, rocky coastlines and sandy beaches are shown, as well as major tourist destinations and some historical buildings.

A sample of an OS map (1:50000 scale) showing Anstruther (taken from www.streetmap.co.uk)

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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4cm per km maps The 1:25000 maps provide a slightly closer look, with more attention to detail, including the shapes of individual buildings, gardens, parks and walls. However, the streets are not named. Telephone symbols denote payphones (although this is becoming obsolete). The 1:25000 maps are generally more useful for surveyors and engineers, as well as tourists and mountaineers who need to stay on the right paths. An example (showing the Anstruther area) is shown over-page. In general, the OS map is accurate and functional, although the font is a plain Arial black, and the blue and red symbols are simplistic in appearance (e.g. the flags denoting the golf course, or the tiny plus sign denoting a church).

A sample of an OS map (1:25000 scale) showing Anstruther (taken from www.streetmap.co.uk)

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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Online and computer-based maps

GIS maps GIS mapping tools were adopted by local councils and engineering companies with great enthusiasm during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The key feature of a GIS map is that you can alter the scale from a map of the UK, right down to a few houses and a lane on the computer screen. This could be done with the click and movement of a mouse, and by changing some settings. Gone went the days when an engineer or civil servant had amass a poster of the UK, a road atlas, two OS maps (both scales), street maps and reams of geotechnical survey printouts. GIS mapping was one of the great computing revolutions in the 1990s. With a GIS mapping system, not only can a user surf around a map he or she can edit and even draw the GIS map. Maps can be created from scratch. Colour coding, lines, features and buildings and text can be controlled by the client. GIS mapping tools mainly benefit businesspeople, engineers and local government organisations; they are highly technical maps, and tourist destinations are usually not featured on such maps. The image below shows the energy efficiency of some houses in Salford, Manchester: red and pink denotes houses with good insulation; pale and dark blue shapes are houses with poor insulation. (Note: the very dark blue shape on the left is a different building.) Streets are pale grey, and parkland is pale green.

A GIS map with colour-coded housing indicating their energy efficiency (copyright of Salford City Council, 2010)

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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Popular online maps Online maps covering the whole of the UK are now easily available on the internet, and are used by government officials, businesspeople and tourists alike. They incorporate a search engine, and users can enter place names, street names and post codes. The maps can be viewed on a desktop computer, laptops, tablets and even on some mobiles. It is still possible to view and print off maps from these websites. The two principal websites are Streetmap and Googlemaps: Streetmap.co.uk Maps on this website can be viewed on a wide range of scales, from large regions of the UK, down to street level. These include OS maps (see pages 11 and 12). Street-level maps are of a different design, appearing more technical and simplistic...and sometimes confusing. For example, someone might think that there are two dual carriageways feeding into Anstruther (see image below). Some of the lanes are crushed together. Thirdly, someone might ask: where is the local high school, or the town kirk, or the harbour? Street-level maps on Streetmap.co.uk are utilitarian: their purpose is simply to point out the location of streets and post codes, e.g. to visiting business delegates and van/lorry drivers.

Sample of a street-level map showing the central Anstruther area (copyright of www.streetmap.co.uk, 2013)

Googlemaps One advantage of Googlemaps is their incorporation into other websites. It is fairly common for businesses to attach a Googlemaps image onto their contact details web page, which shows the exact location, and which can be clicked by the user who is directed onto Googlemaps to the correct map and location.
Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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Another feature of Googlemaps is that the user can zoom in and out, rather than clicking on a map to a set scale. In general, the Googlemaps map appears bland and functional, and not all streets may be named at a certain scale. As with Streetmap.co.uk, the map shown below contains a smidgeon of green (parkland), but no tourist features or schools are shown.

Screen-capture image of a street-level map showing Anstruther (copyright of Google, 2013)

Aerial photographic maps Google Earth was launched during the mid-part of last decade, and became an iconic curiosity of the internet. This is a compilation of aerial photographs of every street, building and field (and even some people!), taken by satellites. The contrast between a colour aerial photograph and the likes of Googlemaps could not be starker. An example of an aerial photograph of Anstruther is shown over-page. However, a photograph does not provide information in text form. There are no names of streets, districts and buildings. Secondly, key boundaries, significant monuments and steep hills or cliffs are not easily visible. Thirdly, if the photograph was taken in bright sunlight, the shadows of some tall buildings may obscure adjacent streets and features.

Moving into 3D: a map showing the sizes and shapes of buildings Architectural students at The University of Edinburgh have recently been using a program OpenStreetMaps TM for drawing and showing 3D maps containing buildings (see lower image over-page). An application such as this could be replacing GIS mapping systems in the future. This could even be used for online maps for the general public.

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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An aerial photograph of Anstruther, see on GoogleEarth (copyright of Google, 2013)

A 3D map showing buildings, created using OpenStreetMaps

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(copyright of David Bain, 2013)

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Survival of hand-drawn, illustrative maps for tourists Despite all these technological leaps and bounds, there is still a corner of the market for artistic, hand-drawn maps, which are chiefly aimed at tourists. For example, the Hazelbank Hotel website hosts a hand-drawn, coloured, projected 3D map showing key attractions and the main streets in the town centre of St Andrews. There is less emphasis on accuracy, and more focus on attractiveness and tourist information. It should be borne in mind that producing such a map is labour-intensive, and requires a skilled artist.

A hand-drawn, artistic map of St Andrews town centre (copyright of Hazelbank Hotel, 2013)

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013

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A simple 3D map / illustration The image below is a map of sorts. This is more of a technical drawing than a map, but it is computer-generated, drawn in 3D, and can be used by the tourist to navigate around Edinburgh Castle.

A computer-aided 3D drawing of Edinburgh Castle and its key features (copyright of PlanetWare.com, 2013)

TO BE CONTINUED...

Is a new type of online map required? Copyright of Dr Malcolm Sutherland 2013