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Professor Paul Clough on Digital v Paper Maps

With the increase in the availability of digital maps, some may argue that there is not a place for paper maps anymore.

However, Professor Paul Clough of the Information School recently conducted a study which compared online and paper maps.  His study, based on the work of a former MSc student Paul Hurst from the Royal School of Military Survey, found that paper maps still have a key role to play.

The study was referenced in a recent Wall Street Journal article where Paul argued that paper maps still have an important role to play and he specifically mentioned the importance of paper maps over digital ones within the military:

“If you are in Afghanistan or Syria, you can’t have a signal dropout – that would be catastrophic.”

The full article can be found in The Wall Street Journal which is one of the USA’s leading national publications and a top publication worldwide. 

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