Explorer mapping on Bing Maps
Published on 10th February 2009 
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutesOS mapping has been available on the likes of Streetmap and Bing Maps for a good while now, but Landranger 1:50000 data has been as good as it got so far. Intriguingly, a recent foray onto Multimap revealed an OS button on its interface, but maximising the scale after using it revealed a surprise that had an air of familiarity about it: Explorer 1:25000 mapping.
This has its uses for surveying countryside regarding walking opportunities, but does nothing to replace the full armoury of functionality that you get from a specialised digital mapping application used for the likes of route planning, for example. Even so, I am not sure what has happened to unleash Explorer mapping for free from an advertising-supported web service, but it does raise an interesting question in my mind.
Anyone who has ever used digital mapping software may have met up with the surprisingly large price difference between 1:50000 data and its 1:25000 counterpart. Drawing from my own experience, it is very striking with Anquet, but far less so with Quo. The availability of 1:25000 mapping on Multimap does bring visions of cheaper 1:25000 data because, in the current economic environment, I cannot imagine that Multimap has been splashing out to that extent, even if it is now owned by Microsoft.
The idea of less expensive mapping data is an appealing thought, but that never means that it is destined to become reality. Even so, there is now a free alternative to splashing out and that might moderate prices if nothing else will. After all, how many use the full functionality of dedicated mapping software? Honestly, I cannot say that I do; surveying possibilities and recapping where I trod is as far as things go for me. Then, it is onto paper maps while I am following trails.
