The Map Room

According to this article, the USGS’s shift from paper to digital maps is generating all sorts of potential problems. Some of them are typically bureaucratic: figuring out which agency is responsible for archiving and preserving which data (and paying for it). But accessibility is a big one: not just whether the data is available (because it’s been preserved), but whether a local library can afford to buy the data and whether ordinary people will be able to understand it. From the article:

Librarians are particularly concerned about the National Map project. Government officials aren’t guaranteeing that libraries will have free access to the map, that previous versions of the map will be saved, and that librarians will be able to download and print at full size, Koepp said.

Via All Points Blog.