Interesting stuff. I hope they 'get it' soon.
This reply to the
New Editions of Maps thread shines a searchlight on what happens when marketing gets out of step with public expectations.
TASMAP understand your frustration and would like to give you an insight into the situation.
When the 1:25,000 Series was commenced in 1981, nine maps per year were produced. By 1985 up to 25 people (consisting of cartographers, photogrammetrists and darkroom operators) were directly involved in production of forty two 1:25,000 maps annually. In these circumstances the intention to achieve a 5 year revision cycle seemed achievable.
Regrettably, as a result of attrition of the number of people involved over a period of years, a mere 4 cartographers and one supervisor are endeavouring to maintain the 1:25,000 Series (415 maps), the 1:100,000 Series (41 maps), the 1:250,000 Series (4 maps), the National Park/ Day Walk and Recreational Maps (14 maps), the Tasmanian Towns Street Atlas (304 pages with 275 maps and insets) and the Visitors Map, in addition to fulfilling demands placed by Government and tourist related bodies.
As a consequence the wording “intended for a 5 year cycle of revision” no longer appears on the 1:25,000 maps. However, with the introduction of new technology, it is TASMAP’s intention to maintain maps which are subject to high use and/or regular and significant change on a revision cycle approaching 5 years.
The ‘estimated availability date’ stated on the Series Mapping Index is determined a considerable time in advance, sometimes up to 18 months, to allow for the acquisition of suitable aerial imagery to undertake map data revision.
Some slippage may occur in the actual availability of products from the ‘estimated availability date’ but be assured that TASMAP makes every endeavour to have its products available at the times stated.
By comparison, the UK OSGB mapping service has flourished into a very large business in the digital age, and while their excellent topo maps are still not free or in open format for the public yet, they are available from many digital vendors. All it takes is for someone to have a tactical view of the marketing possibilities for the resource that they own and maintain. I guess the OS (Ordnance Survey) would naturally be better at that
(Yup, they got their start by mapping where and how to lob bombs into the rabble!)
A similar situation exists in other states of Australia, can't help but wonder if we would be better off with a national approach to the whole thing. It must be quite distressing for GPS suppliers to have to approach each state for topo data and weather the variations in costs and licensing!
As a walker, I like the NZ approach, but I'd also like up to date maps so I guess I'd be happy to pay a reasonable price.