Imagine two cases:

1. You land in a foreign city. You have no map and no compass, but you have access to a huge set of detailed pictures of all the streets and buildings from around you. Now picture yourself needing to find the way to the hotel on the other side of the city. How would that be for an experience?
2. You land in the middle of a software system. You have no map, but you access to a huge set of text files with all the details of the system. Now picture yourself trying to figure out where the center is. How would that be for an experience?

In the first case, we figured out a long time ago that we could do better. We constructed compasses. We came up with the sextant. We built maps. Lots of maps, not just for finding our way, but for figuring out where everything is. And we did not stop there. We went to great trouble to send satellites in space just to help us get an up-to-date picture. We developed smarter systems that figure out the best paths for us, and built GPS systems to make sure we know at all times where we are and where we are heading. We then figured out that personalized maps are even better than generic ones. So we built huge systems that allow each of us to craft these maps that highlight selected things. And more is happening every day in this area. All in all, great expenses. But it was all worth it.

In the second case, we are still mostly stuck with a sea of low level details. We could and should do better.