How Ian White Turned a Subway Obsession into a “Poor Man’s GIS”

While many New Yorkers pass subway rides reading or catching up on sleep, Ian White used his commute to study the city’s transit map. What began as quiet observation evolved into a commercially successful tourist product that has earned four major design awards and stretched the capabilities of a century-old print technology.

White describes his creation as a “poor man’s GIS”—a tactile, handheld map that incorporates layered geographic information without requiring any electronic device. The concept, profiled by journalist David Wagman, sits somewhere between traditional cartography and digital spatial systems.

From Subway Inspiration to Urban Mapping

At age 34, White founded Urban Mapping in 2001, determined to merge geographic information system (GIS) principles with contemporary design. The flagship result was the Manhattan Dynamap, a folding 9-by-18-inch map of lower Manhattan retailing for approximately $18.

Although it appears at first glance to be a conventional tourist map, the Dynamap functions more like a physical interface to layered spatial data. Travelers gain access to high-quality geographic information in a purely analog format—no screens, batteries, or handheld electronics required. For many users, it serves as an accessible introduction to GIS thinking. Beyond tourism, the concept has attracted interest in facilities mapping and homeland security contexts.

White argues that people remain attached to physical materials. Despite the proliferation of digital tools, there is reassurance in holding and manipulating an object. The Dynamap is printed not on ordinary paper, but on a thin polymer substrate with specialized optical properties—technology patented and proprietary to Urban Mapping. The material bridges the divide between digital data layering and tactile interaction.

Reimagining Lenticular Technology

The core innovation builds on a familiar concept. Many people recall “blinky” lenticular cards found in cereal boxes or snack packaging: tilt the image one way and a scene changes; tilt it another and a second image appears.

Urban Mapping applied a far more sophisticated version of this principle. Each Manhattan map contains roughly 100 plastic-coated lenses per inch. Beneath each microscopic lens sit three distinct image layers containing geographic data. These layers are sliced into segments only 1/300th of an inch wide and then interwoven.

As the user tilts the map, different layers come into prominence. One viewing angle emphasizes the subway network. Another highlights neighborhood boundaries. A third reveals the street grid. Unlike traditional lenticular cards that flip abruptly between images, White insisted on smooth transitions. The layers gently fade in and out, allowing simultaneous perception of multiple datasets. The effect feels almost holographic, creating a multidimensional spatial experience on a flat surface.

Designing Through Subtraction

With three information layers available within a single 9-by-18-inch sheet, the temptation might have been to saturate the map with detail. Instead, White approached the project as a designer first and a technologist second.

Understanding his likely customer—design-conscious, experienced travelers willing to pay a premium—he removed elements commonly found on conventional tourist maps. Hotels, typically represented by clusters of dots, were excluded. White reasoned that most buyers would have already secured accommodations.

Highway infrastructure received similar treatment. On-ramps, off-ramps, and expressway connectors were minimized or eliminated, since visitors to lower Manhattan would more likely travel by foot or subway than by car. Superfluous information was stripped away to preserve clarity and elegance.

Where detail mattered, however, the team invested heavily. The subway layer was reconstructed with precision after White found that many existing transit maps were stylized approximations rather than geographically accurate renderings. The goal was to enable users to identify exact subway entrances and orient themselves effectively upon exiting stations.

Landmarks were also curated carefully. Instead of overwhelming the map with historical sites and architectural icons, only a select group of prominent structures was included. These landmarks function as visual anchors. A traveler emerging from underground might spot the Empire State Building, align that reference with the map, and quickly determine position and direction.

Paper as Platform

Urban Mapping’s Manhattan Dynamap demonstrates that analog media can embody digital logic. By combining layered geographic data, advanced lenticular printing, and disciplined design choices, White effectively translated core GIS concepts into a physical format.

The result is both familiar and innovative—a folding tourist map that behaves like a spatial information system. In doing so, White extended the boundaries of traditional print publishing while proving that even in a screen-dominated era, thoughtfully designed paper can still redefine how people experience geographic information.