Cartography by hand tools

Some believe the "mountain" is actually a leopard skin and the squares are an artful geometric design. Without additional evidence, it's nearly impossible to make a hard claim one way or the other. Either way, this drawing exemplifies the lack of clarity in many cartographic representations. Even if it is a map, the overall fidelity is clearly low. Greek philosopher Anaximander is believed to have created the first published world map. That map has long since been lost, but reproductions have been made based on descriptions from secondary sources.

That said, it was one of the first known attempts at accurately depicting the world as a whole. A multi-talented academic, with contributions to astrology, astronomy, and mathematics, Ptolemy was obsessed with the idea of creating accurate horoscopes.

In pursuit of this goal, he devised a system of lines - latitude and longitudes - over which he plotted 10, birth locations. The Age of Exploration began in the 15th century, triggered in part by incredible inventions like the telescope, compass, and the sextant.

This era is summarized perfectly by Time magazine:. This demand prompted European cartographers to conduct extensive land surveys, explore uncharted areas, and create the most detailed maps seen to date. It was during this era that the now famous Mercator projection was created. Maps evolved significantly with the rise of geospatial technology: breaking new ground with the advent of Google Earth. Past cartography tools include compasses, mylar sheeting, planimeters, and dividers - all of which are used to create analog maps.

As digital mapping has become more popular, modern cartography tools have changed significantly. Mapmaking can employ a huge variety of methods and tools. Folks have been trying to get cameras into the sky for as long as those same cameras have existed. Early attempts at aerial photography included balloons, kites, and even rockets. In , the oldest surviving aerial photograph was taken by James Wallace Black, tethered in a hot air balloon 2,ft above Boston.

Read more about the fascinating history of aerial photography here. Modern aerial photography now relies on advanced technology like helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles UAVs - more colloquially known as drones.

Able to reach impressive heights and controlled by hand-held remote, drones are are fantastic tool for aerial photography. Especially for GIS mapping , large-scale, consistent visual records make surveying and change detection a breeze. Though drones are still fairly expensive, the barrier to entry is low enough that organizations and even most individuals can participate.

Sensors detect events, changes, and physical characteristics of a given area by transforming stimuli sound, light, heat, or motion into electrical signals. Those signals are collected and then transmitted to another device, usually a computer.

Put simply, sensors collect data about the Earth's surface. In terms of modern cartography, sensors contribute to the design and creation of detailed, high-fidelity maps.

Because sensors can detect and log huge quantities of accurate data regularly, they are often used in change detection projects. Essentially, creating one map of an area, waiting for a specified amount of time, creating another, and then comparing for discrepancies.

GPS receivers intercept those signals and perform trilateration distance based measurement between various points : enabling a highly accurate system of navigation. Primarily used for navigation in aircrafts, cars, boats, and mobile phones, GPS is also the primary tool for land surveying.

This is a free application with some serious statistical chops. Want to hear what others are doing in the industry? Many of these are truly expanding the scope and advancing the state of the art for the industry.

Interested in learning more? Visit a Maptime chapter near you and build your skills at their hands-on project nights. Subscribe to learn more about the state of the art in technology and data analysis. Skip to content If you are new to GIS and mapping or just want to find out what tools are available, it can be confusing hunting around for the right ones. Will the lake become a diminished element? Will I ruin it all? So I decided to tint the non-lake between-roads areas with a couple layers of green and yellow.

And I chose to highlight the handful of wooded nature preserves around the lake. These were penned in with ink and scratched over with colored pencil. A little scale bar and all that was left was to sign it in impossibly small letters….

And that was it! I called it done. I had a lot of fun doing this. Maps are maps. The tools we use to create them is a means to that end. The process of making informs all sorts of other dimensions of our creative experience, and we are richer for it.

Plus, people I love, Dr. Cheryl Priest and Kevin Priest , end up with a little custom map of their new lake. Their location is marked with a small heart. Happy Map Drawing! Like Like. Thanks John! I want to create a map with a combination of watercolor and ink and you gave me the confidence to give it a shot. Hey and good day, John! If so, I would love to know more and you can reach me at info rome-tours.

Hi Daniella! This is amazing. John, I love the final outcome, and of course, all the steps along the way! I found my way to your map via the folks at ESRI. You mentioned that at the end of the post. I looked at the images that followed, quite closely, but could not find it. I do love the color choices, those pastels and pinks, and the look of what reminds me of cross-stitching, as though the map is hand sewn! You are commenting using your WordPress.

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