Connecting with the community

摘要

Since they first became available in the late 1980s, digital maps have evolved beyond simple display and spatial analysis to become navigation tools increasingly integrated into our everyday lives. Digital maps not only help users navigate from point A to point B, they also connect users to the people, places and products they're most interested in. The future will bring advances in technology and growth in the global community of digital map users which will create a map super rich in real-world, real-time information that will provide benefits to consumers and enterprises alike! For many years, map data had to be gathered from tens of thousands of independent data sources, such as zoning boards, public safety officials, construction companies, and truck drivers. The updates were manually digitized by thousands of cartographers-the work was highly labor intensive. Then, with the advent of improved hardware and software came sophisticated data collection and verification "on wheels." The vehicles travel highways and local roads, collecting large quantities of map data attributes and features such as road signage and building textures.