A new Oregon highway map has just come out, and it’s supposed to reach a new height of the mapmaking art. “For the first time,” ODOT says, “Oregon cartographers used Geographic Information System (GIS) technology exclusively to assemble the new official Oregon state map ... The result is a more up-to-date, easier-to-read 2009-2011 official Oregon state map.”

Well, if they say so.

In fact, though, the map from 2005-07, which happened to be on hand, was a little more readable. The kind of small type indicating geographic features and tiny places in the countryside is a little more distinct on the older map.

Like its predecessors, the new map has, on the back, small maps of the principal Oregon cities, starting with Albany and Ashland and ending with Salem and The Dalles. These are useful to travelers, but some leave out important places. Albany’s map does not have room for Linn-Benton Community College, just the kind of place that travelers might want to find.

The benefits of GIS technology, if any, may not be easy to see. But there’s one big plus to this map:  At visitor centers, chambers of commerce and ODOT offices, you can get one free. (hh)

CORRECTION: An editorial Thursday referred to a Dec. 9 public hearing before the Albany City Council on a Lowe’s home improvement center at Ninth Avenue and Oak Street. The hearing will be on the site plan and a zoning variance. A possible assessment district to pay for street improvements is not officially a subject of the hearing.