No, I don't assume there's necessarily a noticeable correlation with this one thing in the past, or even in the future.
There's a causal relationship between discovering things/character progression, felt gameplay rewards, new people's willingness to keep playing, and rise of population. The maps are one small thing of many small things, but the sum total of those small things matter a lot.
I'm assuming (hoping for, rather) a correlation between addressing all of those small things and a rise in server population in the future. Unfortunately it looks like people are too unwilling to engage in anything that doesn't provide, or takes away, quick rewards for themselves, or to engage in longer term strategies, to be able to address discovery's real problems efficiently.
And btw... assuming that conveniently-for-oneself there is no correlation or causation is also an assumption (a self-motivated one).
