The Seventeenth-century Maps and Surveys of William Fowler

Abstract

Despite the recent publication of several dictionaries of surveyors and cartographers, little is known of the professional and personal background of the majority of such practitioners. This lack of detailed biographical analysis is particularly applicable to the surveyor in the seventeenth century. This paper examines the activities of one of the most prolific west Midlands' estate surveyors in that century, William Fowler. Present knowledge of surveying practice in that period is reviewed and Fowler's work is compared to this pattern. An appendix details Fowler's extant maps and surveys.     

The Sheldon Tapestry Maps: their Content and Context

Abstract

This paper describes the tapestry maps woven in England in the last years of the sixteenth century for the Catholic Sheldon family of Beoley (Worcs.) and Weston (Warks.). It examines the nature of the problems encountered in their design and the sources adapted for their execution with particular reference to the maps of Christopher Saxton, traditionally regarded as the 'base map'. It considers also the identity of the designer.     

THE TRANSVERSE MERCATOR PROJECTION AND ITS APPLICATION TO TANGANYIKA TERRITORY

Abstract

The Transverse Mercator Projection is also called the Conformal of Gauss since it was devised by him in the early part of the nineteenth century in connexion with the Triangulation of Hanover. It belongs to the class of cylindrical orthomorphic projections. That is to say, the Earth's surface, or part thereof, is developed on the surface of a cylinder, and there is practically no angular distortion, an angle on the surface of the Earth being represented on the map by almost precisely the same angle. The representation of meridians and parallels, for instance, shows them intersecting at right angles as they actually do on the Earth's surface; but this orthotomic condition, though essential, is not in itself sufficient for orthomorphism.     

The preparation of the town maps for Lysons' Magna Britannia

Abstract

Although methods of map preparation and production in the nineteenth century are generally understood, in truth little is known in detail. A rare opportunity to further understanding of the methods of the day is offered by the analysis of the surviving working documents and correspondence related to the production of town maps for Lysons' Magna Britannia. As methods of compilation and preparation become clearer, some of the resultant town maps appear more original and carefully created than previously thought, forcing a reassessment of their value as historical evidence.     

A NOTE ON HISPANO-MUSLIM ASTRONOMY

Abstract

A Previous articie dealt in brief outline with a few of the more prominent features of seven centuries (roughly) of Islamic astronomy from the 8th century (700) to the end of the 15th century (1400). First its rise under the early 'Abbâsid caliphs of Baghdad and, in about a century, its splendid flowering at the court of the Caliph AI-Mamun (813), whose capital city was renowned as the great seat of learning of the age. Next the middle period following on the Arab conquest of Spain, via Egypt and North Africa, which led to the founding of the Umayyad Amirate and Khalifate of Córdova (756). The immediately following period covered about four centuries of great and noteworthy astronomical activity by the so-called Moorish astronomers of Muslim Spain. Finally there was its resurgence in the further East in Samarqand, the capital city of the Timurid dynasty in Transoxiana, under the astronomer-prince Ulûgh Beg. After his “martyrdom” (assassination) in 1447 Muslim astronomy came to an end.     

Stephan Illes and His 3d Model-Map of Jerusalem (1873)

Abstract

Stephan Illes built a large-scale relief model of Jerusalem that was exhibited at the Vienna World Fair in 1873. He later presented it in major cities in Europe and sold it in Geneva in 1878. There it was lost until being rediscovered and brought back to Jerusalem in 1985. Illes' model was part of a strong fashion of relief maps and models that became common all over Europe and America and enjoyed great success in public exhibitions at the time. It is not only an impressive and interesting model, but also an accurate and detailed cartographic document and therefore an important and unique source for the study of the history and geography of Jerusalem in the nineteenth century.     

THE GENERAL THEORY OF TAPE SUSPENSION IN BASE MEASUREMENT

Abstract

The method of accurate linear measurement by means of suspended Invar steel tapes or wires has, since its introduction by Jäderin about the beginning of this century, entirely replaced the older methods of base measurement by bars or rods. It is not surprising, therefore, that the theoretical basis of the method—including a determination of the form of the curved tape and of its horizontal projection—should have received close attention. The most valuable recent contributions to the subject, since Benoit and Guillaume's classic work La Mesure Rapide des Bases Geodesiques, are by Professor and Major Henrici and by the late Mr A. E. Young.     

THE NAMING OF THE STARS

Abstract

We have seen that a few constellation-names used by us to-day make their appearance as far back as the Homeric poems, while the star-names Sirius and Arcturus are found in the works of Hesiod. We saw no reason to suppose that these early poets knew no names for other groups. They mentioned only those conspicuous heavenly objects that might occur in any general literature, as for example in the Old Testament books of Job and Amos. There are sporadic references to constellations in the extant works of the great Greek tragedians of the fifth century B.C., but these give us few additions to the Homeric list'. It is not till we come to the special literature of the subject that constellation-names appear in any quantity. The first specialist whose name stands out is the mathematician Eudoxus of Cnidus, a disciple of Plato, who lived in the first half of the fourth century B.C. He wrote a prose work entitled the “Phaenomena”, which, though unfortunately lost, was rendered into verse by the poet Aratus about 275 B.C.     

A SIMPLE PROPOSITION lN,TRIGONOMETRICAL SURVEY AND ITS USES

Abstract

1. The proposition which expresses in terms of the three sides the rate of change of the angle at the vertex of a triangle whose base is stationary and whose vertex is given a small displacement is an important one in plane survey. It must have beeJ1.known to some surveyors for a century or more but there is no doubt that even to-day it is not widely known. This, too, in spite of its extreme simplicity, which makes it, once known, impossible to forget. It's discoverer is unknown to the writer, who was somewhat intrigued to discover it for himself about 25 years ago in the course of field operations of the kind described in § V hereafter. The probability is that many people have discovered it independently.     

Editorial

Abstract

A reconstruction is made of the methods by which the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain pioneered a system for establishing the place-name nomenclature on its maps in the nineteenth century. Until 1820 there was little to differentiate the practice of the Survey from that of earlier cartographers but, thereafter, official surveyors were encouraged to consult a wide range of written and oral authorities and were instructed to record their findings in special name books. By the mid-nineteenth century the essentials of the modern system had been laid down and many thousands of local names published in map form for the first time.

This paper was read in a shorter form to the annual symposium of the Society in September 1970, at the University of Bristol.     

User Desires and Graphics Capability in the Academic Environment

Abstract

In this paper the cartographic grids engraved on two antique instruments from Iran for finding the sacred direction and distance to Mecca are discussed. It appears that these grids can be well explained in terms of the Mecca-centred retro-azimuthal orthographic projection described in 1968 by J. E. Jackson. In this projection the lines of constant latitude reduce to a set of ellipses with their major axes parallel to the equator and the lines of the constant longitudes reduce to a set of non-equidistant straight lines parallel to the north-south direction. It is shown that the curves actually engraved on the instrument conform to this projection and can be fairly easily constructed. This interpretation of the grid on the Iranian instruments stands in contrast with another explanation, recently proposed by King (1999), which is based on medieval Arabic concepts such as the so-called 'methods of the zijes'. Insufficiently accurate workmanship makes it impossible to distinguish between the two explanations through the study of the instruments themselves. The newly gained insight into the projection itself, however, shows that a direct relation between the Iranian maps and Islamic mappings insight knows from the ninth century, as suggested by King, does not exit. Thus, it is concluded that it is as yet completely unknown when and where the very idea behind the Iranian cartographic grid was first conceived, and that the quest for their historical background is still open.     

The Military Map of the United Kingdom and its Impact on Mapping in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Considerable attention has been paid in the literature to the changing style of Ordnance Survey mapping in the twentieth century. However, little has been written about the origins of the characteristic appearance of the first multi-colour editions, other that the Ordnance Survey used a military edition that was already in production. The distinctive style grew out of the work of a committee established in 1892 by the War Office to consider future army requirements for a map of the UK. This paper explores the work of the committee and its long-term implications for the look of mapping in the twentieth century.     

The role of GIS in Digital Earth education

Abstract

A growing number of educators worldwide have become convinced that geotechnologies – including geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing – are key technologies to prepare students to be tomorrow's decision makers. Grappling with local, regional, and global issues of the 21^st century requires people who think spatially and who can use geotechnologies. Some educators teach geotechnologies as a discipline, emphasising skills. Other educators use geotechnologies as a tool to teach content, such as geography, history, environmental studies, Earth Science, biology, mathematics, economics and other disciplines. Issues such as traffic, population growth, urban sprawl, energy, water, crime, human health, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture are growing in complexity, exist at every scale and increasingly affect people's everyday lives. Each of these issues has a spatial component. Drivers for geotechnology education include educational content standards, constructivism, the school-to-career movement, active learning, citizenship education, authentic practice and assessment, interdisciplinary education, community connections and a sustained, increasing demand for GIS professionals. Digital Earth is an ideal framework for contextualising domains of inquiry. The Digital Earth community can have a significant impact on the growth of geotechnologies in education, and conversely, the growth of geotechnologies in education and society can foster the forward movement of Earth systems concepts.     

Ptolemy and the Early Image of the Old World

Abstract

A cartographic symposium held at Ulm in November 1982 was stimulated by the 500th anniversary of the printing of Ptolemy's 'Geographica' in that city, and was attended by an international gathering of historical cartographers.     

Road Maps and Advertising in Britain 1860–1940

Abstract

To the writer's knowledge nothing has been published, at the time of writing, on British maps as a selling medium in the period 1860–1940. The only exception proves the rule: D. G. Hindley's Advertising in Victorian England 1837–1901 (see Sources) mentions Chas Baker's 1887 ABC Guide to London and Large Pocket Map of London (see below), but does not place it in its context. This means that the subject can only be studied through the maps themselves, against a background of society at the time.     

Observations Italian Composite Atlases and a Belgian Undescribed Copy

Abstract

Although Italian composite atlases of the 16th century are seldom mentioned in the literature on historical cartography, these collections are very important for preserving a large number of maps that might otherwise be lost forever. With this paper we want to realize a few things: bringing those atlases back into the spotlight, focusing attention on the need for more research and collaboration on this subject, and last but not least we will reveal the story and the content of a composite atlas not known yet to most authors who are trusted with the subject.     

A NOTE ON CLARKE'S FORMULAE

Abstract

An elegant proof of Clarke's Formulae for lines of medium length has been given by G. T. McCaw. It is based on the properties of polar triangles in spherical trigonometry, and on the application of Legendre's Theorem.     

ICA Research Agenda on Cartography and GI Science

Abstract

The paper presents the ICA research agenda on Cartography and GIScience. The first part discuses the research topics and the second part deals with the 'implementation' of the agenda by the ICA Commissions and Working Groups.