Using GPS eroding memories of how to use Map and Compass. Along with usually well developed Sense of Direction or even Situational Awareness. This could be bad.

The Dean of the Academic Board-West Point - put out a video discussing Habitual GPS users and loss of map and compass skills and especially Situational Awareness!

Quite the eye opener, and honestly, it hit home with me. 

I have noticed the loss of some map reading skills - mostly that I don't use them much any more as I do have a cell phone always with me, but mostly for looking up shit, and not really communicating. My fingers are to friggin' big to tippy-tap at any cogent speed. 

 

(HINT) I often use the voice-to-text feature in WhatsApp to chat with my wife. I'm at home alone, and she's at work with others, so she will type her replies.

(Click on the word bar as if you were going to type something in there, then click on the small black microphone BELOW the word bar, and a recording screen. It will start recording immediately, but you can pause it to sort your shit out before you talk. Talk normally, not too fast, and a tiny bit of annunciation on some words may be required, but I find it about 98% accurate to what I say.)

The point the video makes is that the more you use a GPS, and even though you may have had, and used, standard map and compass training, consistent use of a GPS may very well erode your memory of how to use map and compass.

This is often a complaint of many who don't believe their GPS for one reason or another, and cannot find a good map any more, or even a decent, accurate and sturdy alcohol compass!
but when they finally get the hardware together, it takes a long time to remember the skills and mind-visualization required to properly read and assess a route/location on a Topographical map.

That, unfortunately is about the ONLY style of map that can accurately depict information for map users that everyone understands. In Edmonton, AB, MapTown, downtown used to be the source for many agencies for good Topographical Maps of various kinds.

I suppose mostly Hunters or Resource search agencies would still use these types of maps. I'd trust them over a GPS signal, and would hope the two would offer the same answer confirming each other.

 Listen, I have long loved map and compass exercises, and even a couple of long(er) Orienteering "contests". Canadian Army Sgt (ret'd). Loved to teach Map and Compass as well. I still have several (unclassified) Topo Maps from when I taught that subject, and hold onto them simply because they have pretty decent information laid out in an understandable fashion to anyone with the appropriate training.

Blackout Driving Orienteering. That's when you have the map in the passenger seat, some rookie Private in the operator's seat, and down the lane you go. Would you like to know the most commonly heard phrase from the passenger seat?

"Ah, fukkit, turn around, we musta missed a side-track". Yeah, blackout lights don't really offer any view to the sides. Sure made life interesting - and nights super long.

Modern HUD's can offer pin-point location information, with Military Dithering removed, right down to the centimeter level. Daylight-level night-vision is available on the Civilian market - Pin Camera's from AliBaba.com have amazing resolution (so they claim), and their night-vision security camera's offer amazing night-time visibility - enough to even "colourize" the image.
Holy Cow!

The stuff we have in our cell phones can, at best, get us locked to 3-5 metres. Perhaps better in open cities with more cell towers as well.

 Loved it.

Unfortunately, I'm also a Nerd, so I was into GPS when I took my PLGGR Instructor course way back when. (It was winter, and often location spikes were buried 3' under the snow...at minus 23°C. Arrrmy Training, SIR! LOL). However, we usually were within a few CM of the target pin, so our minds were totally blown on this course!

Then I bought the first B&W GPS device (Garmin?). I even had a small device I kept in my backpack to plug into my GPS-Less cell phone. The small device was the GPS Receiver, USB cable to my phone which used its processor to do the math and display onto an Map App, where I download maps from Google, and then I could track my own location/trace the track, and I think set some waypoints. Fairly basic - but for the time, it was groundbreaking for the civilian market.

But since I retired, I've been relying more and more on my cell phone's GPS App for getting around, even though I often know damned well where we are going.

I keep it up on my screen because
a. I can see the destination,
b. I can see road conditions, 
c. I can see user input to police activity/roadblocks/speed traps/speed camera's, and
d. I can record and archive each trip for historical reference. (Free App)

If you are using Google Maps, you can opt to get a monthly report on your "travels", including names of places you have stopped at.

(Some folks are Data-Shy, and don't like having a big-bro keeping track. That's fine. Free Choice, and all that stuff.)

I can keep track of how far I have driven each month/year. Additionally, you must know that I use my mobility scooter for over 95% of my trips, so it is handy as a tracker in case I have medical issues, my wife knows where I am. No extra cost. And yes, it's on my Android.

Admittedly, a few times I got confused between my brain and what the GPS is telling me, but it's only a matter of a bit of concentration to sort out reality LOL.

I do miss orienteering. But too old, too broken. 

 

Great Memories tho'!