[maptime]

Traditional paper maps or charts are not booming at all.

The biggest producer of physical nautical charts has had to withdraw from the market as they have become unprofitable.

The increased availability of good open geospatial data along with amazing free open source tooling has made making beautiful maps easier than ever. Tools like QGIS and blender are world class

Maybe contentious but is it really a map if it's hung on a wall for artistic merit? At what point is it considered art?

[wmeredith]

"Suits are Back"

Map sales aren't booming any more than point-and-shoot camera sales. I would bet a month's salary that this is a submarine article: http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html

[panza]

I'd really like a breakdown on what these maps are actually used for. They could just be wall art, perhaps a (growing?) niche of custom guide books, maybe a renewed interest in exploring offroad/outback etc.

Or maybe just more people are acknowledging that a fallback paper map in the glove box is a good idea.