Spann thought there was something technically wrong with the maps he was posting. But after getting the help of a group of social scientists, he found that most people just can’t find their house on a map.
This is a dangerous problem, he says. A significant number of Americans live in tornado-prone areas, and others may be dealing with different environmental threats, like flooding, earthquakes or tsunamis.
…A large part of the problem is smartphones, which have GPS systems that give turn-by-turn directions. People don’t [use and read] maps anymore, he says.
sigh…
Comments From The Peanut Gallery 
My inner geographer’s been dying inside since college. I love maps, and love an excuse to learn from them. Atlases are my friends. I print out maps and plot routes in case there’s a problem, because in the sticks, I can’t trust GPS all the time, and don’t want to.