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Except that the new map makes it seem as though California is some lush, green, tropical land. I think the green is way over-emphasized on the new map compared

by cronix 8y ago

Except that the new map makes it seem as though California is some lush, green, tropical land. I think the green is way over-emphasized on the new map compared to the old, which is a bit more realistic looking to my eyes.

saagarjha 8y ago
Have you seen California in satellite view? It's mostly green.
- kaikai 8y ago
  In the spring maybe. For much of the year it's brown because it's desert, nonnative grassland, or city. Big chunks are forest, especially in the north, but brown is still dominant.
  - kristofferR 8y ago
    Sure, but brown areas on the map marks different types of areas, so they obviously can't use brown. Imagine how much of the world would look in the winter, it would just be a completely white map. The colors of the map obviously can't be based on the season.
rconti 8y ago
The arbitrary transition from green to brown on the old maps, when in reality, there is no such transition, is the real problem. When navigating by foot those shapes SHOULD be accurate; I care less about the legal boundaries of the exact park and more about what i'm seeing as I walk around.
- ariwilson 8y ago
  Why do you care that the map represents the green parts accurately? How does that enhance your walking experience? IMO 99% of the time people use maps to get to destinations, so maps should be focused on destinations, not shapes (insofar as the shapes don't prevent you from getting to your destination).
  - theoh 8y ago
    The shape of e.g. a wooded area can be important for orientation when on foot. But really, maps are nothing but shapes (streets, waterways, coastlines) that constrain navigation on the ground, so it's difficult to make sense of your proposed focus on destinations to the exclusion of shapes.
    - Robin_Message 8y ago
      My scout leader always taught me "never navigate by woods". The reason? It doesn't take long to chop down a forest and invalidate your assumptions. I remember taking part in 2-day team orienteering competition. We had walked very accurately on a bearing to where the checkpoint should be, but it wasn't there. My friend had taken the bearing on the corner of a wooded area. Looking more closely at the wooded area, we could see a large area of tree stumps next to it... (We reorientated ourselves, found the checkpoint, and came second in the competition.)
- TylerE 8y ago
  If you're navigating on foot why aren't you using a topo map?

by cronix 8y ago

saagarjha 8y ago

Have you seen California in satellite view? It's mostly green.

kaikai 8y ago
In the spring maybe. For much of the year it's brown because it's desert, nonnative grassland, or city. Big chunks are forest, especially in the north, but brown is still dominant.
- kristofferR 8y ago
  Sure, but brown areas on the map marks different types of areas, so they obviously can't use brown. Imagine how much of the world would look in the winter, it would just be a completely white map. The colors of the map obviously can't be based on the season.

rconti 8y ago

The arbitrary transition from green to brown on the old maps, when in reality, there is no such transition, is the real problem. When navigating by foot those shapes SHOULD be accurate; I care less about the legal boundaries of the exact park and more about what i'm seeing as I walk around.

ariwilson 8y ago
Why do you care that the map represents the green parts accurately? How does that enhance your walking experience? IMO 99% of the time people use maps to get to destinations, so maps should be focused on destinations, not shapes (insofar as the shapes don't prevent you from getting to your destination).
- theoh 8y ago
  The shape of e.g. a wooded area can be important for orientation when on foot. But really, maps are nothing but shapes (streets, waterways, coastlines) that constrain navigation on the ground, so it's difficult to make sense of your proposed focus on destinations to the exclusion of shapes.
  - Robin_Message 8y ago
    My scout leader always taught me "never navigate by woods". The reason? It doesn't take long to chop down a forest and invalidate your assumptions. I remember taking part in 2-day team orienteering competition. We had walked very accurately on a bearing to where the checkpoint should be, but it wasn't there. My friend had taken the bearing on the corner of a wooded area. Looking more closely at the wooded area, we could see a large area of tree stumps next to it... (We reorientated ourselves, found the checkpoint, and came second in the competition.)
TylerE 8y ago
If you're navigating on foot why aren't you using a topo map?