Zoomable Map Solution – On Paper!

I am rubbish with maps. I get car sick when I read them, I have no clue when I look at them and try to predict where I will find things and explanations from me normally sound something like “Take a left at the shop with the fruit, then walk until you see a blue skip, take a right there until you go past a betting shop….” meaning I just don’t remember street names.

I am even worse folding and unfolding maps. You can bet that sooner or later I won’t be able to fold a massive map any longer and that you hear a ripping noise when I open one. That aside, it is a real pain in London to read a map anyways as you hardly ever have enough personal space to unfold one in the first place.

A friend of mine now showed me an invention she came up some time ago, which is a foldable and zoomable map. You just pick the section you are interested in and you can unfold with two fingers to go to a detail map or just keep the overview in your hand. Together with information about the tube and different sights in London this would be a very cool gift for people visiting me and klutzes like myself. A shame you cannot buy them yet.

“See a video of the map in action on youtube”:http://youtube.com/watch?v=7gG4JoLajP4:

[tags]maps,map,zooming,handy,guide,tourist,london,pocketmap[/tags]

5 Responses to “Zoomable Map Solution – On Paper!”

  1. How Little Maps Can Make a Big Difference - Zoom With Just Two Fingers at locally type(d) Says:

    [...] Sometimes a map is not just a map … Just picked this up from Chris a fellow Yahoo!This map has something you might call a zoom. You can unfold and "zoom" [...]

  2. In the Arms of Strangers » Blog Archive » Interesting things in print Says:

    [...] at, and could be adapted for Froglets Halfbakery concept (stumbled upon via Google). This zoomable map is simply awesome (created by a colleague, I really hope she gets it off th [...]

  3. James Wheare Says:

    London Mini A-Z is where it’s at. Fits in a jacket pocket, and no folding to contend with. Ace. This looks pretty cool though.

  4. Dave Tickle Says:

    I have a tiny street map of Manhattan which unfolds and refolds in a similar clamshell manner. (search for “Compass Popout Map”). Would be better if it contained the same breadth of information as your friend’s though.

  5. Jose Park Says:

    I have always been a fan of folding paper particularly making paper airplanes. I started with a software called The Greatest Paper Airplanes published by Kitty Hawk. Unfortunately the software is no longer distributed today. It teaches how to fold 50 different paper airplanes. It’s a good place to start learning origami.

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