National Geographic Society to Sell Personalized Recreation Maps

Maps tailored to the needs of the individual hiker, kayaker or fisherman will be offered through specialized kiosks and over the Internet, the National Geographic Society said.

The Society on Wednesday announced the acquisition of Wildflower Productions, a California firm with high-tech expertise in printing maps on demand.

“A fisherman in Alaska will be able to download a map to show just where to find the salmon he wants, how far the spot is from his camp and how many feet he’ll have to climb to get there,” said Matthew Heller, vice president of Wildflower.

Both the company and National Geographic declined to discuss their financial arrangement.

Allen Carroll, vice president of National Geographic, said Wildflower’s technology will make possible a combination of the Society’s specialized maps and information as well as the more than 50,000 topographical maps of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Heller said one map-selling kiosk has already been set up in San Francisco and another in Denver to provide the personalized maps at $7.50 each. Another is expected to be available at National Geographic headquarters by the end of this month and 25 others are scheduled to be operating across the country by the end of August.