For a long time, Apple Maps was a laughing stock. Then it started getting better. Apple ironed out the glitches, began updating Apple Maps every day, and introduced Flyover, which gave you a 3-D view ...

When it comes to maps—a technology that is 4,000 years old—two completely contradictory things are true: Nothing has changed. And everything has changed. What hasn’t changed is maps are a language.

With digital maps and vast databases, there’s no limit to how rich and real-time maps can get. Accuracy and consistency will come from a system of unique identifiers called GERS. The world is a messy ...