“Turn left on Boylston Street” or “walk about a quarter mile past the big oak tree” are directions that make perfect sense to a person, but are difficult for a computer to understand. How have cartographers used computer processes for that quintessential role of maps: getting from one place to another?
If you used the “maps app” on your phone to find your way around today, then you’re probably in good company. These pocket-sized, superpowered wayfinding machines have become so ubiquitous that they fade into the background of our everyday lives, only coming into clear focus when something with them goes wrong. Of course, these modern map apps are descendants of earlier, pre-GPS navigational tools. Many such tools were complex, multipart systems; in some cases, they were built as kiosks into the landscape, while in others, they would be physically installed in a car. The maps and photographs in this section highlight a series of hybrid moments in calculating routes. By tracing how wayfinding was translated into the memory of computer software and hardware, we can gain a better understanding of our navigational practices today.