Digital mapping which is also known as cartography, involves the collection of data which is compiled and later formatted in virtual data and posted on the Internet. The primary goal of having this data transformed into virtual images is to produce digital maps that people can be able to use instead of carrying the traditional maps along with them when going on trips. These digital maps are meant to replace the other traditional maps because they are more effective and you can be able to locate an area on the digital map by just typing in the name of the area and waiting for the results. These digital maps have proven to be very efficient provided that one has Internet connection. You do not have to have a computer because you can access these digital maps from an Internet enabled mobile phone and this makes it very efficient because almost everybody in the world owns a GPRS enabled mobile phone. These maps can be very helpful when one is lost because all one needs to do is log on and look at the digital map to find his/her way back home.

This application can be found in very many computer applications but you can also download it on your mobile phone so that you can be able to use it anytime you need some help with directions. These mobile applications are very efficient and they are a small genre of GPS systems. This technology is meant to transform maps from paper to digital content. The traditional maps only cover a certain area and this limits their use but with digital maps, you can access information about any part of the world with just the click of a button. These paper maps cannot be updated and this is factor that the digital maps have addressed accordingly. A paper map cannot be updated once it has been printed and this is a major disadvantage because places change everyday and new roads constructed. It would be very expensive to update these maps monthly.

Digital maps can be updated everyday provided that the information is genuine. Once a digital map application is up and running, it is very easy to update it because it is digital content. Many digital mapping companies are coming up with very innovative ways of digitalizing maps. These companies have different ways of displaying and producing digital maps. They are also developing mobile phone applications which have proven to be very effective and efficient because many people are using mobile phone devices while on the move. Digital mapping was earlier a virtual representation of the paper maps but with the new technology, they can also show the user an image of the area in question so as to give clear directions. They can also display the roads and give live traffic updates to people on the roads and all this is available to you if you have Internet connection on your mobile phone. The world will go digital in a few years and digitalizing maps is one step of getting there.