Part 1: Three women’s Death Valley day trip soured after their GPS led them to the edge of survival.

Seth Dixon‘s insight:

This is a extreme example, but this video serves as a cautionary tale.  The harsh and unforgiving physical geography of Death Valley does not tolerate a lack of preparation.  Here is part 2 of the video.  Garmin the GPS manufacturer’s statement on these videos is quite telling “GPS’s shouldn’t be followed blindly…it is incumbent on users to obtain and update their GPS devices with the most recent map updates.” 

Technology is designed to guide and assist our decision-making process–that does NOT mean we should turn over thinking functions to the device.  Spatial thinking is just like a muscle that will atrophy if it is never used.  So consult a map and think for yourself; newer technologies aren’t always better or more reliable.   

Tags: mapping, GPS, geospatial, location, California,

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