While the article describes maps in an artistic way, there is also one practical aspect where they still excel over GPS. It's that GPS is almost always being us

While the article describes maps in an artistic way, there is also one practical aspect where they still excel over GPS. It's that GPS is almost always being used in turn-by-turn mode where it translates the map into words. But words can be imprecise. I recently had to follow a route that involved two right turns very close to each other. The second turn was inconspicuously signed and there were other roads intersecting in the same vicinity. The worded directions didn't accurately translate into a visual concept of how close the roads were and the angles at which they intersected. The layout of that intersection, and how easy it was to miss the turn, became obvious after I stopped and looked at the map. If I had seen that before driving I would have been able to anticipate the turns. A person giving directions to another person would likely use hand gestures to draw a picture of how the roads intersect. Describing it with words alone doesn't quite do the job. But that's all a GPS can do. Even if you were to look at the map on the screen, because it highlights the intended route and fades other streets into the background, you'd still probably not notice how close the correct and incorrect streets were. Perhaps someone could program an orienteering mode for GPS where it gives directions in precise distances and bearings. Paired with a snappy drill instructor voice.