HARVEY have recently published the second edition of the National Navigation Award Scheme Outdoor Navigation Handbook for Tutors. I couldn’t find a summary of the changes, so I wrote my own.
My latest Peak Challenge walk led me to discover one of my new favourite places in the Peak District, which is exactly the kind of thing I had hoped to achieve from this challenge.
I love maps, and because I’m a bit of a geek, I love mapping software too. It’s super convenient and it unlocks so many possibilities for using and exploring maps in new and interesting ways.
There’s a good variety of mapping software out there, but most people pick one and stick with it due to the relatively high cost of switching. There’s the financial cost of having to purchase map tiles or subscription packages, the mental cost of having to learn a new system, and the cost of the time it takes to transfer your library of routes from the old system to the new.
Despite that, I meet lots of people who would benefit from switching. The best options include crisp high-definition maps, an intuitive user interface and whizzy features like 3D flythrough and more. The worst software is slow and unresponsive, clunky to use, and some systems even lack an undo button.
This long-form comparison covers six pages, each exploring a different aspect of the software. I cover the different options available, and give my opinion on what works well and what doesn’t.
Quo is the name of the digital mapping software produced by Mapyx. I’ve been using Quo for around ten years, and as part of my mapping software comparison article I decided it was time to review it fully. I really enjoyed writing this review, as I learned much more about the software by exploring it in detail. I cover what works well, and what doesn’t, and who I would recommend this software to.
OS Maps is the slightly-too-generic name for the web-based mapping software published by Ordnance Survey. I’ve been using it for around five years, and it has improved substantially in that time. It’s also grown hugely in popularity, probably due to the scratch-off codes that are included with OS paper maps nowadays. I covered the main features as part of my mapping software comparison article, but this review goes further and explores the software in more detail. I also cover the differences between OS Maps and eDofE Mapping, which will be interesting to those who use both systems.
