I think this is a good idea, but someone ought to watch the contract for intellectual property issues..
Here’s the link and below is an excerpt..
The U.S. Forest Service wants to contract with online retailers so it can sell digital and digitally-enhanced versions of its national forest maps and atlases along with forest map-based mobile apps, according to solicitation documents posted Thursday.
The Forest Service produces numerous hardcopy maps that it sells to about 250,000 tourists and hikers each year, the request for proposals said, but its sale of digital maps through its own websites has been more limited.
The agency hopes to remedy that by selling maps through a vendor such as iTunes or Google’s e-Bookstore, which could digitally enhance the agency’s base maps to make them more interactive and user friendly.
The Forest Service plans to offer 18 digital visitor maps of national forests in California, Arizona and New Mexico to start along with about six full digital atlases, the agency said.
The price per map may vary, the agency said, because it is required by law to at least break even on any map-selling ventures.
I heard about a machine that can print waterproof copies of topo maps on special paper. You can even wad up the map and it will continue to be usable. A co-worker was really giddy about this new, durable map that can be bought from a vending machine.
Why is the USFS even in the map-making business? Google Earth is free, and so are digital USGS 7.5-minute Quadrangle maps, which are usually better for most hunters, workers, and hikers because of their accuracy, consistent formatting, and uniform acceptance.
USDI is giving its far more accurate maps away for free, so is Google, and the USFS has to “make a profit?” Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay twice for this stuff, and if they want a print map they should buy one from a mapmaker, who needs to make a profit so they, in turn, can pay taxes. And those taxes shouldn’t be used to subsidize government competitors is the way I see things.