Comments on: Nancy Chandler’s Map of Chiang Mai

By: Ruai

Ruai — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:49:10 +0000

As someone who is relatively good at land navigation having spent some time in the military, one of the things I connected with in this article is that if I have a map that does not have ALL the streets on it . . . it’s useless to me. If I pass a street and it’s not on the map I have no idea whether I’m heading on the correct bearing.

In typical land navigation . . . you know, the type where people’s lives depend on it like in the military or in aviation how you navigate is to pick your course and then fix on a particular feature that is on your bearing. As long as you keep that feature as your immediate goal then you are on course.

So, let’s say for instance, I need to hike 20 miles due east to intercept an enemy formation. I look at my map to see where I need to go relative to my current location and set a compass bearing. Then I use my compass and identify some feature that is on that path. For instance, it might be a large rock formation that is directly on an easterly course about 2 miles away. Now I can walk towards that rock formation and when I get there I locate the next feature which is on the compass bearing. And so on and so on until I arrive at my destination.

So, a map that does not contain information that allows you to constantly correct course is pointless. If I come upon a canal that is not on my map . . . how the hell do I know if I’m even going in the right direction?

The whole purpose of a map is to give you referential information so you can navigate.

By: paul o'callaghan

paul o'callaghan — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:45:30 +0000

I spent quite a lot of time in Chiang-Mai in 2008 and bought the Chandler map and lo & behold i could not make head nor tail of it ! I thought i was just stupid now i realize it’s because i’m a man ! The above article makes so much sense now.Thank you.

By: SBDOTKU

SBDOTKU — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:44:42 +0000

Hmmm, I am not a full-time programmer, though I have programmed some but I’m not sure the analogy you provide is as robust as it might be especially with regard to relative addressing. I might say that absolute addressing gives a “set-in-stone” set of directions that say one MUST go straight 2 blocks, then left 2 blocks, then right 2 blocks to get from A to B. While a relative address would be something like: point B is at 10:00 from your current position. Going toward 10:00 – either by left 2 blocks then right 4 blocks or straight ahead 4 blocks, then left 2 blocks or straight 2, left 2, right 2 – all will yield the result desired. In other words the relation between the beginning and end point remain the same, though the path between them is not codified. I hope I have understood what you are trying to relate and my example assists.

What I really wished to say is that I have purchased many maps of areas in Thailand and find Nancy Chandlers’ of little value. Perhaps you would say that is because I am an absolute addressing male. I believe it is more because all of her maps are uncorrected and out of date and so the information they provide is either incomplete or incorrect. When purchased, some of her maps included extra documents that describe additions and changes, but the maps themselves remain as originally “painted” – with incorrect information remaining on the page.

I prefer the Groovy Map series. They have all the information for absolute as well as relative orienteering (IMHO) and offer quite good suggestions of places to visit and things to do. They’re also laminated to keep them stain-free and in one piece. And best of all, these maps are UPDATED.

I understand the point of your essay is not to encourage anyone to buy a particular map. Just in case someone might use your essay to form an opinion of the value of maps, I thought I would give readers the benefit of my experience and save them money and time spent. Nancy Chandlers’ maps are nice illustrations, and might be fun as wall-mounted art as a reminder of one’s trip but as a tool to get from one place to another I think they are lacking.

(And no, I do not know, nor have anything to do with, the makers of the Groovy Map series.)

Thanks for the interesting comparison, it had me thinking.