Title: Trends and Developments in Cartography
1Trends and Developments in Cartography
- Bengt Rystedt
- Presented at CODI, Addis Ababa, September 5, 2001
2Introduction Like many other disciplines
cartography is in a stage of transition.
Cartography deals with representation of
geographic phenomena, both real and virtual. In
his key note address at the International
Cartographic Conference in Beijing professor Gao
Jun presented a new approach to the definition of
map. By mapping we understand a transformation
from one form to another, which is well known to
mathematicians. Let then a map be a result of a
mapping and consider these terms in a geo-spatial
context. In this way we find that both geographic
databases and virtual realities are results of a
mapping process, that is a transformation from
reality to a digital representation. Roughly,
professor Gao classified maps as visual maps
(printed maps and screen maps) and virtual maps
(digital geographic data and virtual reality
images). Cartography is the discipline dealing
with maps and mapping.
3Towards a Cartographic Research Agenda
- The ICA Strategic Plan to be adopted in Durban
2003 - The benefits to the members
- A research agenda
- Publications
4Reaction to
- Dietmar Grünreich -
- Cartographic research and development serving the
needs of the national Mapping Agencies the
European perspective - Liqiu Meng
- Towards individualization of mapmaking and
mobility of map use
5Cartographical research framework
6Gruenreich Meng
7Cartographic Research
- the research that explains or improves taking
- cognizance of spatial data from maps, and
- ensures that these maps/visualised spatial
- data give an adequate idea of the
- patterns/trends of the abstracted attributes of
- nature as needed for decision making
8Dimensions of cartographic research
Historical dimension past spatial data provision
Realityspatial dataspatial imageperception/cogn
ition user
Dimension of different applications Disaster
management, physical planning, resource
management, navigation, environmental monitoring
9Psycho-physical and cognitive research
10Map use research
11Modelling research
12Data extractionresearch
13Qualityresearch
14Research issues ICA would like to spearhead
- GIScience - digital object models
- - forecasting data quality in GIS
- Generalisation - intellectual data structures,
objective evaluation procedures, development of
cognitive considerations - GDI -how to establish reliable, timely user
oriented data provision - Automated topomap production feature extraction
and pattern recognition - Cognitive and usability issues in geovisualisation
15Research infrastructure needed
- International Cartographic Journal/Yearbook/Monogr
aphs - List of cartographic PhDs
- List of cartographic research programmes
- Bibliographies
- Terminology - data bases
- Measurements for implementation
16ICA Commissions research tor
- Standardization identify research needs
- Theory study mapping as cognitive process
- Visualisation study cognitive issues research
agenda - Internet examine web map user issues
- Generalisation foster research into multi-scale
issues - Children promote research on children as map
makers and map users - Mountain promotion of joint research projects
17Possible strategies
- Commission on cartographic research?
- Incorporate into all commissions terms of
reference? - Have a science advisory board?