Maps for the Reluctant

Abstract

This paper describes the design and development of two trial 1:100 000 scale Ordnance Survey maps targeted specifically at the inexperienced and reluctant map users in the touring and holiday market. These are two maps which depart from the very high map specification designs normally offered by Ordnance Survey. The use of extensive consumer market research and the objective analysis of existing touring type maps on sale have enabled Ordnance Survey to publish two experimental maps, which will succeed or fail by consumer reaction alone.     

Editorial

Abstract

This paper describes the conservation of the first edition of the six-inches-to-one-mile Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland. It outlines the general problem of the acidity of paper on which nineteenth-century Ordnance Survey maps are printed and the peculiar problems of conserving a hand-coloured presentation set. Each stage in the process is described up to the final encapsulation of the maps in Melinex polyester film.     

History of the Cartography and Toponymy of the Valley of Geysers (Kronotsky Reserve,Kamchatka Peninsula,Russia): From Field Drawings to 3D Documents

The article describes the evolution of the cartography and toponymy of the second largest geyser field in the world – the Valley of Geysers in the Kronotsky Reserve (Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia), discovered in 1941. The toponymy evolved in close connection with the development of the cartographic base that passed through the three stages from the first manual drawings to large-scale maps and to 3D models of the territory. The number of geysers with personal names increased gradually from twelve to more than one hundred. The article presents examples of diagrams and maps as well as tables of thermal features with coordinates. All main sources of literature were analysed for the period of 1941–2017, and the article presents a comprehensive historiography on the investigated topic. The evolution of instruments for the measurement of geyser activity is also briefly overviewed with examples of data obtained using the different methods.     

The Emergence of an Environmental Cartography in Denmark

Within the history of cartography, relatively little attention has been devoted to the study of the growing body of maps and spatial data focusing on environmental issues. This is rather surprising, considering the importance of this type of cartography in the handling of the complex environmental problems of modern society. This paper analyses the development of thematic maps and spatial data focusing on the terrestrial environment of Danish landscapes. The paper is introduced with a review of the concept of environmental cartography, followed by a historical analysis of the development of environmental mapping in Denmark. Results suggest that there has been a change in the content and aim of environmental cartography in the twentieth century, from an initial focus on mapping potentials for land use improvement and optimization of the economic outputs from engagement with terrestrial ecosystems, to a focus on monitoring ecosystems and regulation of human intervention. Finally, the usefulness of the concept environmental cartography to frame analytical work dealing with the still increasing number of maps produced for environmental purposes within the history of cartography, is evaluated.     

How Large Was the Earth in the Sixteenth Century? The Length of the Degree of Latitude in the Iberian Cartography of the Renaissance

In this paper, the results of a cartometric analysis of a number of Portuguese and Spanish charts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are presented and conclusions are drawn concerning the length of the degree of latitude adopted in the Iberian nautical cartography of the Renaissance. Under the light of what we know about the navigational and charting methods of the time, a new interpretation of the textual and cartographic sources is proposed. Rather than being the result of technical considerations or precise measurements, the adoption of the various standards during this long period appears to be no more than the echoes of the traditional models of the Earth and of the political disputes between Portugal and Spain.     

Inset town plans on large-scale maps of Great Britain

Abstract

Although widely known, the inset town plans which appeared on large-scale maps of Great Britain have never been systematically listed and analysed. Inset town plans are discussed in terms of their design and content, and the rare process of revision is illuminated. Particular attention is focussed on the sources of plans and patterns of occurrence and authorship are identified. From this detailed analysis, a picture of their strengths and weaknesses for the urban historian is developed.     

The Contribution of the Cartographic Visualisation in Understanding the Historical Geography of an Old Land Property Regime in Mouth Athos (Karyes)

Abstract

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The peninsula of Mount Athos is the largest monastic gathering of Modern Orthodoxy in the world, operating continually under the same regime since 883 AD. Focusing on Mount Athos, this paper attempts to examine the spatial regime continuation and identify the relation to what is considered to be a small residential unit around a central church (Protatos) within the limits of the Athos peninsula. The paper investigates the delimitation of the area, mapping and recording the relevant changes cartographically. At the same time, the paper creates a cadastral plan of the present regime, recording real estate owners in a cadastral table. Finally, the paper focuses on the significance of the findings to the historical geography of Athos, as well as the emergence of a new ‘area’, added to the twenty monasteries of the peninsula after 1450.     

Do choropleth maps linked with parallel coordinates facilitate an understanding of multivariate spatial characteristics?

Our study has three objectives. We want to investigate (1) whether choropleth maps linked with parallel coordinates help people understand the locations of vulnerable places and the factors making these places vulnerable, (2) whether sparklines that imitate the polylines from a parallel coordinate plot support the understanding of the information provided in that plot, and (3) whether a multiple-view geovisualization approach might be intuitive and useful also for nonexperts. Although we base our work on the functionalities available in the tool called ‘ViewExposed,’ we intend to outline more general conclusions on whether multiple linked views facilitate the understanding of multivariate spatial characteristics. An empirical study with 53 individuals was conducted to obtain insights on these objectives. Our task-based assessment considered the ways in which participants understood the dynamic linking capabilities. Some of the key findings are as follows: (1) even nonexpert users are able to use parallel coordinates linked with choropleth maps; however, only those with extensive inference-making abilities will do so efficiently; (2) parallel coordinates sparklines work as an independent component facilitating the understanding of multivariate data; and (3) the intuitive nature of a multiple-view geovisualization tool is not enough to encourage people to use it.     

A Franco-American Geographical Encounter

ATLAS?GRAPHICS (Version 3.0).

AutoCAD (Release 9.0 with ADE+1, ADE+2 and ADE+3).

AutoSketch (Speed Enhanced Version 1.02).

NUMERICAL RECIPES FORTRAN. Numerical Recipes Software

SCIPLOT.     

Toward a Cartography of the Commons: Constituting the Political and Economic Possibilities of Place

Competing with the cartography of capitalism, undermining its power to fix resources as open to capitalist appropriation and space as enclosed, will require a cartography of the commons that makes visible community and commons processes; it will require a shift in strategy from explicating and defending existing commons to mapping spaces into which a commons future might be projected. The “Buffalo Commons” and a map-based project in New England fisheries link new spatial imaginaries with desires for and enactments of alternative economic initiatives. Each project rereads economic and environmental processes relative to the potential of the commons rather than the potential of capitalism.