Cartography - What Is A Map?, The History Of Cartography, Types Of Maps, Geographic Illustrations, Map Making - Showing three-dimensional relationships in two dimensions
cartographers gis software produce
Cartography is the creation, production, and study of maps. Cartographers are often geographers who specialize in the combination of art, science, and technology to make and study maps. Some cartographers teach mapmaking skills and techniques, some design and produce maps, and some are curators of map libraries. All cartographers, however, focus on maps as the object of their study or livelihood. In other cases, biologists, economists, geologists, hydrologists, planners, and others can engage in cartography to summarize or analyze spatial data. Geologists, for example, produce highly specialized geologic maps to show the three-dimensional arrangement of rock types in an area.
A major change in cartography during the past decade has been the growing use of geographic information system (GIS) software to produce, store, and use maps. GIS software can be used to create custom maps that cover an area or portray features of specific interest to a user. For example, a map showing vegetation types can be placed over a shaded relief map of the earth's surface to illustrate the relationship between biology and topography. GIS software can also be linked to computer simulations of processes such as flooding or earthquake damage to help communities develop emergency response plans. Digital maps can also be widely distributed using internet map servers that allow users to interactively explore a large map by scrolling and zooming.
When creating a flat map of a portion of the earth's surface, cartographers first locate their specific area of interest using latitude and longitude. They then use map projection techniques to represent the three-dimensional characteristics of that area in two dimensions. Finally, a grid, called a rectangular coordinate system, may be superimposed on the map, making it easier to use.
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Cartography came to a near-halt in Europe during the medieval period, when maps were little more than imaginative illustrations for theological texts. In Muslem countries, however, the science of cartography continued to grow, and various techniques were refined or improved by Arabic cartographers. Their knowledge and skills were introduced into Europe during the Renaissance. The eras of explorati…
There are many different types of maps. So many, in fact, that it can be difficult to classify them into groups. A common classification system divides maps into two categories: general and thematic. General maps are maps that show spatial relationships between a variety of geographic features and phenomena, emphasizing their location relative to each other. Thematic maps illustrate the spatial va…
There are many portrayals of geographic relationships that do not qualify as maps as previously defined. Throughout human history, people have been illustrating geographic relationships between various elements of the physical and cultural environment. These geographic illustrations and representations are often beautiful, and can illustrate the world view of the culture that produced them. Some a…
Distance and direction are used to describe the location of an object in space. In conversation, terms like right and left, up and down, or here and there are used to indicate direction and distance. These terms are useful only if you know the location of the speaker; in other words, they are relative. Cartographers, however, need objective terms for describing location, because maps are intended …
After locating their area of interest using latitude and longitude, cartographers must determine how best to represent that particular portion of the Earth's surface in two dimensions. They must do this in such a way that minimal amounts of distortion affect the geographic information the map is designed to convey. In order to understand the difficulty of such a task, imagine an orange with…
Maps present geographical information at a reduced scale. In order for the information to be useful to the map user, the relative proportions of geographic features and spatial relationships must be kept as accurate as possible. Cartographers use various types of scales to keep those features and relationships in the correct proportion. Scale is the mathematical relationship between a distance bet…
No single map can accurately show every feature on Earth's surface. There is simply too much spatial information at any particular point on Earth's surface for all of the information to be presented in a comprehensible, usable format. In addition, the process of reduction has certain visual effects on geographic features and spatial relationships. Because every feature is reduced by …
For many centuries maps were produced entirely by hand. They were drawn or painted on paper, hide, parchment, clay tablets, and slabs of wood, among other things. Each map was an original work; the content may have been copied, but each map was executed by hand. Once printing techniques were developed, many reproductions could be made from one original map. Chinese printmakers were producing maps …
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User Comments
12 months ago
sir,
i want know about.
how the cartography cammunication is diffine...
about 1 year ago
verry verry useful for us
about 1 year ago
How can do better in cartography
over 1 year ago
good summary.