I think it's out of line to go blaming googlemaps, libelously so. As someone that's used a boat both with and without navigation systems I can certainly vouch for the value of local knowledge beyond what maps offer (paper or digital). Having spent years on water with just charts you learn to appreciate asking real people about things. And having lost the chartplotter's GPS fix twice this season I can also speak to the value of knowing local conditions ahead of time. "Know before you go". Same thing applies for mountains or other remote locations. It's nearly useless to have a map if it doesn't reflect changes in local conditions. Bridges go out, mudslides cover things, etc. Topo maps often help just tell you exactly how screwed you really are, nothing more.
I don't know how it is for vehicles lost in the wilderness but the first rule of boat rescues is NEVER LEAVE THE BOAT. Even if it's capsized you've got a FAR better chance of being rescued than alone. And if the boat sinks you're better off in a group. But it's hard to second guess what these poor folks went through. It's worth discussing, if only for the purpose of learning what NOT to do yourselves if you're ever faced with a similar challenge. Frankly I'm surprised the BURNING TIRES didn't draw out a whole legion of treehugging nitwits trying to find who'd been polluting their precious forest. That'd be among my best bets for drawing attention. But that's entirely dependent on weather conditions and I'm not aware of what they faced at the time. Still, it's in keeping with the idea of drawing attention to the group, as opposed to going it alone *without* being dead-sure of the destination and known route to it. Mother nature, on land or sea, does not take kindly to those that press their luck. Real shame though. I cannot imagine the frustration and panic those poor folks endured. As to the value of aggregation, obtaining local knowledge is no trivial task. Those that know, especially when it concerns things of "value" are not often eager to share. Where's the motivation? Letting everyone else know how to navigate in your favorite remote locale doesn't do much for maintaining the value that draws you to it. That it might help save your ass if/when you get trapped doesn't really mean much before the fact. And here's a tip, marine rescue uses a worldwide satellite-basedd system based on picking up a signal from a device called an EPIRB. They've recently started selling personal EPIRB devices that clip on your belt/pack. What's not common knowledge is you can use a personal EPIRB when you're ON LAND. The signal, when detected as being not on/near the water, will be relayed to local law enforcement for handling. I'd trade for one of those over ANY number of maps if it came down to that simple a choice. I'd much rather have those that know HOW to rescue know how to FIND me than trying getting myself 'un-lost'. -Bill Kearney Syndic8.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anselm Hook" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 1:18 Subject: [Geowanking] thoughts re james kim > Looking at where James Kim died, I notice it is not far from the Black Bar > Lodge (not shown), and not far from the Rogue River. > > http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=grants+pass,+oregon&ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=42.643114,-123.744593&spn=0.051582,0.0951&t=h&om=1 > > http://www.arrowheadadventures.com/oregon-lodging.html > > It's possible that google maps killed this fellow. He could have been more > cautious, heeded advice, but he had some map, perhaps paper, perhaps google, > presenting a coldly rational path down highway 23... stripped of all human > doubt. > > It's also possible that better maps could have helped them; maps that were > an aggregation of all the social data available out there; that were filled > with questions, comments, observations about the region, that pulsed with > the seasons. > > Perhaps all we can hope to contribute to life is to take paths others have > not yet taken; and of course in truly living there is always the risk of > harm. But in this case his death seems particularily tragic. My heart goes > out to those he leaves behind. _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking
