Mapping the Future

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Mapping the Future

Technology and computers have revolutionized many of the aspects of our lives. Many professions and businesses have used technology to their advantage and completely changed industries. One profession that has drastically changed because of computers and technology is cartography or mapmaking. The impact of technology on geographic information and mapmaking has led to new techniques and skills for these now computer-based jobs and careers. New technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) have emerged in mapmaking. There are also new Internet-based map services including MapQuest and MapBlast as well as other digital maps.

Before analyzing the effects that technology has on mapmaking, it is important to understand some of the history of maps. Hundreds of years ago, maps were drawn by hand and much of the work had to be done manually. In ancient Greece , philosophers came up with the idea of “geography” and that was where the foundations of maps were created. Information about geography is very crucial in designing a map and at this time methods of mapmaking were very primitive. Over a thousand years ago, China navigated its surrounding waters and was able to create the most accurate maps at the time (Knox 12). Exploration was on the rise in the 1500s because of Europeans’ discovery of America and maps were needed by these empires. In the next few centuries, mapmaking became more accurate because of the ever-expanding knowledge of information about geography.

As the methods of mapmaking improved during the years prior to the 20th century, advancements were made in cartography in terms of measurem...

... middle of paper ...

...duced and more common because the ability to produce them has become easier. Computers and technology have definitely had significant, positive effects on mapmaking and cartography.

Works Cited

Knox, P. L. & Marston, S. A. Places and Regions in Global Context: Human Geography. Upper Saddle River , NJ : Pearson Education, Inc., 2003.

Chrisman, Nicholas Exploring Geographic Information Systems. New York , NY : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002

Hafner, Katie. Adventures in Driving, Via Web Map. The New York Times. C-1 Jan. 16, 2003 .

Davis, Bruce GIS: A Visual Approach. Florence , KY : Onword Press, 2001.

DiBiase, David. “Understanding Geographic Data.” ESRI Virtual Campus Retrieved: 10 Apr 2003 . <http://campus.esri.com>

Kaplan, Elliott. Understanding GPS: Principles and Applications. Norwood , MA : Artech House, 1996.

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