Mud map

[Purrfeck]

I don't know if this would interest you guys or not...but its something different to what you're used to seeing.
From time to time I get this sort of work coming into the office....

Here is a mud map of a holiday park which wanted their mudmap updated and coloured. (I've removed the name of the park - these people are friends and won't mind if I use it as an example).
The top copy is their original office copy and the coloured version is the one that I made that goes onto the website.

I've given away using the cad and corel program and do all the fixes in Xara.
Often, these black and white maps come in as rough hand drawn copies, sent in as a Fax or PDF and I usually end up re-drawing it in the XXP program.
These maps have to made in two sizes generally - one for the web and the other as a large print out for customers arriving at the park.
The numbering, lines and wording, always looks the best done in Xara, because of the anti-aliasing properties. Before I got Xara1 when it came out, I used to colour the maps and put the writing on in the corel program but it was always blurry once it was on the website, no matter what I did.
The map had to look good and load fast on their website, otherwise its a waste of time doing it.

Sometimes two years down the track I have to make some sort of alterations to these...like removing cabins or re-numbering them and adding other things in there because the park has grown bigger.
This Park and the area are in severe drought, the Lake has shrunk significantly and there is more beach showing, so an adjustment to the shoreline had to be made. I usually have to guess where the road finishes and the green belts are on alot of these because most Parks are too far away and I have to rely on what they say in their email! Some are alot more complicated and bigger than this one...lots of fun and games with these though....

I hope that someone finds this interesting and I haven't bored the pants off you!

From
Michele

[Soquili]

Michele the colour really adds to the map so things are easier to see. At least for me.

[gwpriester]

Well done.

I have never heard the term "Mud map". But be down under regional?

[steve.ledger]

"Mud Map" very common expression all over Australia, especially in the bush and rural areas.
Now days it mostly refers to a quick roughly drawn sketch of a map.

[Purrfeck]

Thank you Bill and Gary for the comments.

I should just explain that these mud maps are the internal workings of what you would call an RV Park but the difference is that these Holiday Parks are just for travellers, holiday makers and are so popular at school holiday time you have to book ahead to get in.

The colour helps break up the map into areas so that when a manager from the park is on the phone with the customer, they can easily point out areas that are say, by using the road, deluxe cabins, ensuite cabins, camping areas etc etc. This is very handy for customers so they can see where they will be staying when booking a cabin or camping spot.

We use "mudmap" as a term of reference to a rough drawing, as the country is already broken into states and regions...and it gets confusing if we do not use this term in the office as we do mapping in other areas with this type of business.

This is just one of those jobs that someone in the office has to do - you don't always get thanks for it...someones gotta do it though to get paid! LOL

Michele

[pauland]

I have never heard the term "Mud map".

Nor me!

[Rhanna]

I think the term 'Mud Map' was originally used in the Australian bush because there was large areas (100s square klms) without much mapping or directional signs. For example, I did some bush work in South Australia where one homestead was 100 klms (of dirt road) off the highway with little sign posting. Yet, there were numerous tracks leading off, mainly to stock yards and windmills. A wrong turn could cost you dearly. Often if you were venturing out to this type of area someone would make the suggestion to draw a 'Mud Map.' That most likely would've been drawn on the ground. Then it graduated to paper like Steve suggested.
Well, that's my story and I am sticking to it!!
Rupert

[handrawn]

sounds plausible Rupert - you can see it being the case..

[gray]

Your version makes it much easier to read, Michele.

[Burpee]

I think the resulting map is much easier to understand. Great job with it.