The mapping programs you use to navigate your city may soon be three-dimensional.
Why All World Maps Are Wrong
Activity-tracking company Strava has acquired Fatmap, which builds a high-resolution 3D world-mapping platform for outdoors. Experts say 3D maps are useful for everything from engineering to hiking.
“3D maps go beyond traditional 2D maps and provide more context for the world around us,” Dustin Parkman, vice president of transportation solutions at Bentley Systems, which makes engineering software, told Lifewire in an email interview. “We live in a 3D world, so it’s easier to understand information in 3D. We’re used to seeing information in 2D, not because it’s preferred, but rather because of the technology that’s been available to us historically.”
Fatmap is designed for outdoor recreation work without cellular connectivity. The company claims to have a community of hikers, mountain bikers, skiers and trail runners in over 100 countries worldwide.
