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"Goodbye map and compass" says RoadTour

IS THIS THE END FOR THE TRADITIONAL MAP AND COMPASS?
BRITISH INVENTOR LAUNCHES SAFEST WALKING DEVICE EVER

New gadget removes all risk of getting lost by putting hikers inside a detailed virtual map of their surroundings

Application will help the 71% who have resolved to walk more in 2010 and the 55% of ramblers who admit to getting lost even with a map

It’s an experience that has spoiled millions of walks – the guide says “At the pub, take the higher of the two paths and cross the stile on the left after 100 yards”, but neither the higher path nor the stile are to be found. Despite having some of the best maps in the world, more than half (55%) of British walkers are unable to keep on course even when they have their maps with them.

Now an ingenious piece of software called OutDoors, designed to work on the iPhone even beyond the range of a mobile network, puts walkers into a virtual version of Britain’s famous Ordnance Survey maps, adjusting the map to take account of direction. The maps offer hundreds of times the level of detail found in other navigation aids such as Sat-Nav and will soon be developed for other Windows and Google software-based devices.
The software locates the user within the map, enabling him/her to make sense of their surroundings. Importantly, it is not reliant on a mobile phone signal and instead makes use of the free satellite navigation technology built in to iPhones to register the user’s location on the detailed maps that are stored on the device. This means that walkers have a reliable and highly detailed guide, even in Britain’s most remote locations. The invention will be of huge benefit to the 71 percent of Britons who intend to commit to walking or cycling more in 2010.
Inventor Daniel Taylor of RoadTour who developed the product said: “OS maps are the most detailed and accurate in the world and they are stunning creations. The beauty of our product is that it extends the experience and places the user within the map so that he or she can follow a route with confidence. Suddenly the word ‘lost’ simply no longer applies and even total beginners can explore much more of Britain’s countryside in safety.”
Despite the impressive level of detail in Ordnance Survey maps, 55% of walkers have been lost on a walk even with a map in their pocket according to a poll for RoadTour. More than a third (36%) have found themselves a mile or more off course and one in 20 has ended up more than 5 miles off the beaten track. Four percent or nearly one in 20 of those polled said they had been forced to take shelter overnight. The poll also found that disputes centred on interpretation of the map and choices over which direction to take were the things most likely to spoil a good walk, outstripping even rain or snow.
Digitised versions of the OS maps are built into the software and users can search the maps for any single location, including a quarter of a million UK place names. The maps cover all 250,000 sq km of the UK, including all British National Parks which span an area of 22,000 sq km.
Aside from the pleasure of simple stress-free navigation, the new software offers huge safety benefits for walkers. The maps are rich in detail, a far cry from the simpler maps on car-based satellite navigation equipment. They also contain data on terrain, cliffs and hazards that connection-dependent services like Google Earth cannot match. In 2006, the last year for which Mountain Rescue statistics are available, there were 729 incidents involving people trekking in the British wilderness, of which one in four incidents were reported as ‘lost’, ‘benighted’ or ‘overdue’.
Users of the software will be able to pinpoint their location at any time and, OutDoors’ creators hope, be less of a strain on Mountain rescue services. The cost of running the rescue service in England and Wales is around £6 million per annum.
Mark Salter, from Ordnance Survey said: “Britain’s countryside is incredibly diverse and offers many possibilities with much variety. With so many people taking the opportunity to enjoy life outdoors, we’re delighted that RoadTour is bringing our highly detailed maps to the iPhone. This innovation should encourage a whole new group of people, particularly the young, to experience the countryside with confidence, armed with accurate and dependable Ordnance Survey maps”.

Daniel Taylor added, “Walkers until now have been faced with a choice between maps or a GPS device. Some have even tried to use online map providers which can be quite dangerous since overhead satellite photos and road-maps miss 95% of the detail of an OS map and can therefore give a walker or cyclist a false sense of confidence in what to expect. Also, online maps simply don’t work in large parts of the UK.”

OS mapping for the whole of the UK is available on iTunes including what is expected to be the most popular product, the UK’s National Parks and RoadTour have further plans to launch more products in Europe. The product can be purchased on iTunes for £24.95 per region or just £1.99 for OutDoors Lite, which offers the whole UK road network. RoadTour has plans to develop the product for other devices and for other countries. – Ends – For images and samples call Hamish Thompson on 07702 684290 or email hamish.thompson@1238kmh.com.

For detailed product information visit http://www.roadtour.co.uk/iphone/iphone_outdoors.php

About RoadTour
RoadTour (www.roadtour.co.uk) has a history of innovative high-tech touring products. In 2007, the company launched an audio tour guide for Sat-Nav devices which it called “1066-and-all-that-Nav”, and in 2008 it developed another Sat-Nav software product called “Tot-Nav”, designed to help parents navigate to child-friendly locations.

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