The new generation of maps of Swiss regions for tourists and travelers has become more modern in appearance and easier to read
As Swissinfo.ch notes, the latter is the result of digital scanning of an ordinary paper map, being an exact copy of the original. A vector map, on the other hand, is essentially a database that stores all information about map objects, including such data as tree height, road width, river flow speed, name of a populated area, etc.
Thus, the new tourist maps for hiking enthusiasts in Switzerland are an organic fusion of all the advantages of vector and raster maps; they look modern and are easier to read. At the same time, as always in Switzerland, before releasing the new generation of maps, the Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo conducted an online survey of users, who expressed their preference for the current design.
For the convenience of travelers, different categories of routes are marked in different colors. For example, a regular route, a mountain route, and an alpine route are marked in yellow, red, and blue, respectively. Additionally and very conveniently, public transport stops, panoramic viewing platforms, castles, hotels and inns, parking lots, and mountain bases are marked.
The new maps are practically folded, easy to unfold and use in field conditions; the special extra-strong paper on which the maps are printed also has water-repellent properties. The new map project was implemented by swisstopo together with the Swiss organization for organizing hiking routes "Schweizer Wanderwege". The maps cover all regions of Switzerland and are to consist of 59 issues. All of them should be on the market by 2020.