"Cartography (...) is the study and practice of making and using maps."
The techniques and methods used to create and interpret maps of geographic regions.
Map Projections: The process of transforming the 3-dimensional Earth into a 2-dimensional map.
Geodetic Datum: A reference system that defines the shape and size of the Earth, and serves as the basis for all mapping and surveying.
Scale and Map Reading: Understanding how to read and use maps, as well as the concept of scale, distance and orientation.
GIS (Geographic Information Systems): A computer-based mapping and analysis tool that integrates multiple data sources and enables spatial analysis.
Remote Sensing: The process of obtaining information about the Earth's surface from a distance, using technologies such as satellite imagery and aerial photography.
Topography: The study of the shape and features of the Earth's surface, including elevation, relief, and terrain.
Historical Mapping: The process of mapping the past, including historical maps, atlases, and other cartographic materials.
Map Design: The art and science of creating effective and aesthetically pleasing maps, including principles of color, typography, and layout.
Cartographic Ethics: Understanding the ethical considerations and implications of cartography, including issues related to representation, bias, and power.
Visualizing Spatial Data: Effectively representing spatial data and patterns through data visualization, including techniques such as choropleth maps, dot density maps, and heat maps.
Cartographic Communication: The process of communicating spatial data and analysis through maps and other forms of visual communication.
Map Producers and Users: Understanding the role of different types of map producers (such as government agencies, private companies, and non-profit organizations) and map users (such as policymakers, scientists, and the general public) in the cartographic process.
GIS Technology: Understanding the different types of GIS software and hardware, including database management systems, spatial analysis tools, and web-based mapping services.
Geocoding and Addressing: The process of assigning geographic coordinates to addresses, enabling spatial analysis and visualization of data.
Spatial Analysis: Using GIS and other spatial analysis tools to identify patterns, trends, and relationships in spatial data, allowing for better decision-making and planning.
Topographic Maps: Maps that represent contours, elevations, and physical features of the ground.
Political Maps: Maps that represent countries, boundaries, and political regions.
Road Maps: Maps that represent roads, highways, and transportation features.
Nautical Charts: Maps that represent water features such as coasts, seas, and harbors for navigation purposes.
Thematic Maps: Maps that represent specific themes or topics, such as weather patterns or population density.
Aeronautical Charts: Maps that represent flight paths, airspaces, and aviation features for pilots.
Geologic Maps: Maps that represent geological features, such as rock formations, minerals, and faults.
Climate Maps: Maps that represent climate and weather factors such as temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric pressure.
Land Use Maps: Maps that represent land uses, such as agricultural, urban, and industrial areas.
Cadastral Maps: Maps that represent the ownership, boundaries, and values of land parcels.
"Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively."
"The fundamental objectives of traditional cartography are to: - Set the map's agenda and select traits of the object to be mapped. This is the concern of map editing. Traits may be physical, such as roads or land masses, or may be abstract, such as toponyms or political boundaries." - "Represent the terrain of the mapped object on flat media. This is the concern of map projections." - "Eliminate the mapped object's characteristics that are irrelevant to the map's purpose. This is the concern of generalization." - "Reduce the complexity of the characteristics that will be mapped. This is also the concern of generalization." - "Orchestrate the elements of the map to best convey its message to its audience. This is the concern of map design."
"This is the concern of map editing. Traits may be physical, such as roads or land masses, or may be abstract, such as toponyms or political boundaries."
"This is the concern of map projections, to represent the terrain of the mapped object on flat media."
"This is the concern of generalization, to eliminate the mapped object's characteristics that are irrelevant to the map's purpose and reduce the complexity of the characteristics that will be mapped."
"This is the concern of map design, to orchestrate the elements of the map to best convey its message to its audience."
"Traits may be physical, such as roads or land masses, or may be abstract, such as toponyms or political boundaries."
"Cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively."
"Modern cartography constitutes many theoretical and practical foundations of geographic information systems (GIS) and geographic information science (GISc)."
"Cartography (; from Ancient Greek: χάρτης chartēs, 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and γράφειν graphein, 'write')"
"Combining science, aesthetics, and technique"
"Represent the terrain of the mapped object on flat media. This is the concern of map projections."
"To orchestrate the elements of the map to best convey its message to its audience."
"To eliminate the mapped object's characteristics that are irrelevant to the map's purpose and reduce the complexity of the characteristics that will be mapped."
"Cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively."
"To set the map's agenda and select traits of the object to be mapped."
"Physical traits, such as roads or land masses"
"Abstract traits, such as toponyms or political boundaries."
"The main objectives of traditional cartography are to set the map's agenda, represent the terrain, eliminate irrelevant characteristics, reduce complexity, and convey its message effectively."