The Cartographer and Cartography Defined
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The Cartographer and Cartography Defined
This information supplied by the British Cartographic Society
Definitions
Cartography is a term that is rarely understood. People say that they like maps or that they use maps, but very few know what cartography is.
Cartography (map-making) is ‘the discipline dealing with the conception, production, dissemination and study of maps in all forms’ (International Cartographic Association, 1995, p.1). Another description of cartography is that it is the ‘Art, Science and Technology’ of map making. This is an important definition in that it leads us to appreciate that cartography covers many disciplines and is so wide-ranging that it invites interest from a huge diversity of people. This results in a subject, be it commercial or academic, that includes people from all backgrounds and specialisms, making a career in cartography both diverse and exciting.
The lack of understanding as to what cartography is or what cartographers do is not helped by the fact that many courses relating to the subject do not contain the word ‘cartography’ within their titles. The reality is that cartography covers such a wide range of subjects, from remote sensing to the great explorers of the past, that it is difficult to label and therefore define.
The word ‘mapping’ is often used in conjunction with cartography, but is different in the fact that Mapping is ‘the mental interpretation of the world’ (Dorling and Fairbairn, 1997, p.3). That is how we perceive the world around us and interpret it spatially, often into a mapped form.
The study and practice of cartography as explained in the previous section deals with a variety of disciplines.
A number of these are listed and briefly defined below to help you not only to choose the correct course to study relating to cartography, but to give you additional insight into the diversity of the field.
Disciplines
The History of Mapping and Cartography
The form of maps through out time, from the earliest representation of a place on a piece of stone, through medieval maps and charts, including the Great Explorers and the methods employed to generate maps in the past.
Photogrammetry
The method by which accurate topographic maps are derived from aerial photographs.
Remote Sensing
The means by which spatial and environmental data about the earth can be acquired by sensors located in satellites and aircraft.
Topographic Surveying
The principles and methods by which topographic features (roads, paths, houses, natural features) may be accurately measured on the ground and plotted as maps.
Cartographic Design and Communication
The way in which maps are designed to effectively communicate their contained detail to the map user. How the use of colour, symbolisation, style, etc. affects the way we perceive the information. Cartographic design involves all publication mediums, from paper to the Web.
GIS
Geographical Information Systems. A GIS combines applied Geography, Cartography and Computing. It is a way of using digital maps to see, model and analyse what is happening in the world.
3D Visualisation
The representation of spatial data as a virtual 3D image, enhancing recognition and communication of the information.
Map production
The methods employed to generate maps for a wide variety of publication mediums, from paper to onscreen maps. Map production has changed dramatically in the last few years with new technologies enabling the cartographer to broaden their design ideas and the application of maps.
Desk-top Publishing
The process of combining images and text together in a format ready for printing and publication.
Web Design
The effective design, generation and publication of material on the world wide web.
Map Curatorship
The collection, preservation and promotion of maps and spatial data.
This list is in no way exhaustive.
Key Skills
Many of the key skills required to be a cartographer or to undertake higher education programmes in cartography and related fields are taught within the main subject areas at high school. Cartography is such a varied subject, that an interest in a wide range of subjects, from art to mathematics, will help you on your path to surveying, designing, manipulating spatial data and working with maps.
Geography
A key subject when wishing to work within cartography or GIS. Knowledge, skills and understanding relating to spatial information, natural and human environments and undertaking geographic enquirey are extremely useful. A basic understanding of maps and how to use them is also very important.
Art and Design Technology
A large part of modern commercial cartography involves the design and generation of not only maps, but also whole publications on a variety of media, from the world wide web to folded paper maps. Good design skills are very useful if you wish to work in map design.
Mathematics
This is a subject that can be very useful depending on the area of cartography or GIS that you wish to work in. Although mathematical skills are not necessary to be a cartographic designer, to work in surveying or GIS they are important.
Computing
Good IT skills are a great benefit if you want to have a career in either cartography or GIS, but again it really depends on the type of job you are looking for. You may find yourself working with 3D visualisations and developing virtual landscapes on the world wide web, or you may be drawing pictorial maps of foreign cities.
Languages
A grounding in a second language is always very useful when wishing to work in the international market. Cartographers with more than one language are always sought after and as such there are often greater opportunities to work overseas.
Enthusiasm
The most important thing you need to be a cartographer is enthusiasm about maps and about geographical information. The subject is so varied that as long as you have basic geographical knowledge and skills, you will find a discipline within the world of maps that suits your skills and education.
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