Welcome to the International Cartographic Association
Welcome to the website of the International Cartographic AssociationGet to know the new ICA Executive Committee for the term 2023-2027
Welcome to the website of the International Cartographic Association
Get to know the new ICA Executive Committee for the term 2023-2027

Invitation to AsiaCarto 2024 – The First Asian Cartographic Conference of ICA

The International Cartographic Association (ICA) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) are pleased to initiate the first Regional Cartographic Conferences (RCC) in Asia, namely Asian Cartographic Conference (AsiaCarto 2024). AsiaCarto 2024 will be held from 8th to 10th December 2024 at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.

AsiaCarto 2024 aims to bring together Cartographers, GIS scientists, and professionals from related fields to provide a platform for discussion, exchange, and stimulation of research and collaborative projects on Cartography and GIScience. In the long run, AsiaCarto envisions becoming a biannual series of conferences hosted in various Asian countries, consistently supporting the promotion of Cartography and GIScience within Asia and worldwide.

We invite submissions, session proposals, workshop proposals, and exhibitor applications! Don’t miss out on the chance to win prestigious awards such as Best Paper, Best Presentation, and Student Travel Grants. For detailed information registration, please visit AsiaCarto 2024’s official website. ICA has also opened up its Scholarship programme for this new Regional Cartographic Conference. The deadline for Scholarship applications by young scientists is 7 August 2024: https://icaci.org/scholarship/

We are happy to welcome you to AsiaCarto 2024 in Hong Kong!

Category: Member News
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Invitation to CartoVis 2024 – ICA Workshop on AI, Geovisualization, and Analytical Reasoning

The University of Warsaw Department of Geoinformatics, Cartography, and Remote Sensing in collaboration with the International Cartographic Association Commissions on Cognitive Issues in Geographic Information VisualizationGeovisualization, and User Experience (UX), as well as ICA Next Generation Cartographers Working Group are pleased to invite you to the 2024 ICA Workshop on AI, Geovisualization, and Analytical Reasoning, on Saturday, 7 September 2024 at the University of Warsaw, Poland.

Early-stage work is explicitly encouraged, especially by junior scholars or those new to cartography.

We invite you to contribute to our Call for Papers. Short papers (2 pages) can be submitted until 15 May 2024 and abstracts (300 words) until 1 June 2024. Submissions are expected to report on ongoing and emergent work that aims to tackle one of the many dimensions of cartography: specifically, we welcome those that relate to supporting geovisualization and analytical reasoning, including approaches that leverage AI methods applied at various stages: data processing, analysis, visualization generation and interpretation, as well as support in user perception interpretation. Broadly speaking, we are seeking work that focuses on understanding users, their cognitive processes, and/or their interactions with visual representations and computational methods via maps or geographic visualization. We welcome research that tackles these and related problem areas through computational, representational, artificial intelligence (AI), ethical, or contextual methodological lenses. This workshop will provide a forum in which new approaches and ideas can be discussed and where new research collaborations can be formed.

There will be no conference fee!

For details please visit our workshop website: http://carto-vis-workshop.uw.edu.pl/ 

We are looking forward to your contributions and to welcoming you to Warsaw!

CartoVis24 Organizers

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Invitation to the 18th ICA Conference on Digital Approaches to Cartographic Heritage

The ICA Commission on Cartographic Heritage into the Digital, continuing the tradition of its annual Cartoheritage Conferences since 2006, is pleased to invite you at the 18th ICA Conference on Digital Approaches to Cartographic Heritage in Bologna, 23-25 October 2024 – in partnership with the the University of Bologna, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering (DICAM), supported by the MAGIC – Map & Geoinformation Curators Group.

Call for Papers

The Programme will be organised in thematic sessions dedicated to issues relevant to the subjects usually treated in the Conferences of the ICA Cartoheritage Commission, according to its Terms of Reference (2023-2027).

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

  • Digitisation – Georeference.
  • Content analysis in terms of geometry and thematics of cartodiversity.
  • Landscape change studies based on map-archival sources.
  • Visualisation of Cartoheritage, including thematic portals.
  • Interconnection of cartographic archival sources, especially map and textual data.
  • Historical terrestrial and aerial photography, including photo-related post-cards and relevant material – cartographic parametrisation.
  • Cartoheritage web providing issues.
  • Interaction of cartoheritage with map and geoinformation curatorship of cartodiversity.
  • Development of cartoheritage as a cultural issue, within the context of GLAM, addressed to education and to the general public.
  • Geographic affinities with Cartoheritage.
  • Cartoheritage and Digital Humanities.
  • Other relevant issues of the Cartoheritage ecosystem.

The presented papers are published in the Conference Proceedings (ISSN-2459-3893) available in digital form during the Conference.

For your participation in the conference, please fill and submit online your participation form.

For abstract submission, please fill and submit online the paper title & abstract form (Deadline: 30 April 2024)

For more information about the conference please visit cartography.web.auth.gr/ICA-Heritage/Bologna2024.

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International Journal of Cartography – Issue 10.1, 2024 published online

Cover International Journal of CartographyThe new issue of the International Journal of Cartography is now available on the Journal website

A synopsis of papers published in the issue is provided below.

  • The contributions in this Issue begins with a paper from Jason Van Horn, entitled Erwin Raisz Plan to Advance Academic Cartography in the United States.  Van Horn notes that “Erwin Raisz represents the vanguard of early Twentieth Century American cartography.”  The paper covers Raisz’s plans to build academic cartography as its own sub-discipline in geography.  It examines his strategy and how his 1938 textbook, General Cartography, acted as a catalyst for the establishment of new courses in Cartography. The paper also covers how he continued to champion the further development of cartographic programmes.
  • Uncovering urban circadian pulses based on an animated cartogram: the example of Bogotá by Hugo Thomas & Florent Demoraes describes a dynamic map that shows the differing location of ‘day’ and ‘night’ populations and how they balance over a 24 hour period. This was done using a smoothed animated cartogram of the Bogotá metropolitan area in Colombia.  The main goal of the project was to provide visual effectiveness.
  • Marina Viličić and Miljenko Lapaine contribute the paper Determining the Scale and Map Projection of Stjepan Glavač’s Map from 1673.  The authors consider this map to be an exceptionally important part of Croatian cultural heritage due to its uniqueness and the detailed depiction of Croatian regions. From the relationship between the coordinates from the map, the authors concluded that Glavač used the equidistant cylindrical projection with the equator as a standard parallel.  The paper concludes with the calculation of the interval of the numerical scale of the map, enabling them to refute and/or accept the theses of other authors who have cited different scales of Glavač’s map.
  • Ruud Stelten’s paper, The Caribbean’s mythical Aves Bank, addresses the cartographic myth of the Aves Bank, a long and narrow submarine bank that connected Aves Island with Saba and St. Eustatius.  This is one of many fictitious topographic elements introduced into early maps and charts of the Caribbean. The Aves Bank myth came about in the 1720s and was adopted by many cartographers, who included it in their maps and charts. The paper reports on the research undertaken by Stelten on this Caribbean cartographic myth.
  • Stefan Fuest, Olga Shkedova & Monika Sester offer information on their approach for promoting routes that reduce exposure of road users to areas that should be temporarily avoided due to traffic related or environmental reasons. Promoting favorable routes through visual communication: A design study for creating route maps for the case of air pollution outlines their method, that recommends routes be calculated as the shortest path while minimizing the current concentrations of particulate matter along the route.  They proposed seven different visualization variants for representing line and areal objects in a route map that visualize route options based on pollution levels.
  • Certain arguments against the hypothesis that portolan charts were genuine late-medieval cartographic products by Tome Marelić reports on a series of tests conducted on sample of 12 representations of the Adriatic Sea on portolan charts, created between the late 13th and the late 16th century.  This was done to examine their navigational applicability. By-products of their results strongly suggest that it is impossible that portolan charts were, in terms of their geometry, genuine late-medieval cartographic products.
  • Miljenko Lapaine, in his paper, A Problem in Basic Cartography offers proof that standard parallels and secant parallels generally do not match. He argues that that the widely accepted facts about secant and standard parallels are wrong and need to be revised. Further, he explains that cylindrical projections are not a good approach, as they lead to misunderstanding important properties of projection.
  • The Issue concludes with the Invited essay: MAPS IN HISTORY by Imre Demhardt. The topic of this essay is Richard Harrison as media cartographer.
  • Two book reviews are also included:
    • New directions in radical cartography: Why the map is never the territory edited by Phil Cohen and Mike Duggan, Landham, Maryland, US, Rowman & Littlefield, 2021. Review by Peter Vujakovic.
    • Atlas of the Invisible: Maps & Graphics That Will Change How You See The World by James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti. Review by Antoni Moore.

Papers can be viewed via the Journal website.

Bill Cartwright and Anne Ruas
Editors, International Journal of Cartography

Category: General News

International Journal of Cartography – Issue 9.3, 2023 Special Issue ICC2023, Cape Town, South Africa, published online

Cover International Journal of CartographyThe new issue of the International Journal of Cartography is now available on the Journal website

Details of papers published in the Issue are provided below:

  • The paper Options for systematizing cartographic rules was provided by Václav Talhofer, Jiří Drozda and Filip Dohnal. This paper suggests a systematization of the rules that are used in the whole technological cycle of map creation. The suggested system of rules is processed into the design of a knowledge-based ontology database intended for solving especially collision situations during the creation of topographic maps.
  • Otakar Čerba, Tomáš Andrš, Loic Fournier and Martin Vaněk contribute Cartography & Web3. This article addresses the relationship between cartography and Web3. It describes the basic features of Web3 and its future relationship to the field of cartography. The paper aims to generate discussion regarding the evolutionary changes in cartography that may occur due to the emergence of Web3 technologies such as Blockchain.
  • Square-glyphs: Assessing the readability of multidimensional spatial data visualized as square-glyphs is provided by Gianna Daniela Müller, Daria Hollenstein, Arzu Çöltekin and Susanne Bleisch.  In this paper, the authors present a user study evaluating the readability and interpretability of the square-glyphs. They compare the user performance with squareglyphs containing two and four simultaneously mapped data dimensions and different value compositions.
  • The following paper is Understanding Relevance in Maps through the use of Knowledge Graphs by José Pablo Ceballos Cantú, Markus Jobst and Georg Gartner. The paper describes ‘SeMaptics’, a tool has been developed to better understand the relationship between the two domains of ontological and spatial dimensions. Ontological mapping allows for discrete ontologies to be projected into the spatial field. Such ontologies are regularly seen in a continuous or overlapping layered format in the spatial dimension. However, integrating both spaces results in a novel method, which could add additional perspectives to the map-making process. SeMaptics implements a graph structure to accommodate graph visualizations using D3js.
  • Visualising temporal changes in visitors’ areas of interest using online geotagged photographs by Bochra Bettaieb and Yoshiki Wakabayashi. Details a study undertaken to visualise the spatial patterns and temporal changes in the areas of interest (AOIs) of foreign visitors using data derived from geotagged photos on Flickr. The results show differences in the distribution of AOIs between visitors from Asia and Europe.  Furthermore, the distribution of changed AOIs may reflect environmental changes due to a redevelopment project.
  • Behind the first Habsburg map of Transylvania – comparative analysis of contemporary manuscript maps by Zsombor Bartos-Elekes provides results from a study analysed, for the first time, three other contemporary manuscript maps: “Mappa della Transilvania”; “Continet mappas comitatuum”; and the map by Morando Visconti. The research was conducted to determine the relationship between the printed map and the manuscript maps, the map sources and if they were copies. They also wanted to determine the authors and the date of the manuscript maps.
  • Gertrud Schaab, Serena Coetzee, Nerhene Davis and Faith N. Karanja, in their paper Developing teaching/learning materials on “Sense of Place” with students in an international university cooperation: overall approach and first phase outcomes at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences report on their project to jointly develop digital teaching and learning resources related to sense of place, which can be used in blended learning at several universities.  This paper provides the results of the first phase of the project.
  • Spatial aspects of evacuation: A closer look at user interaction during route choice by Dajana Snopková and Lukáš Herman reports on one aspect of a larger project that dealt with the study of the influence of spatial parameters of buildings on decision-making during evacuation.  They focussed on the analysis of the collected interaction data (mouse rotation) and their relationship to the laterality of the participants and the final choice of an evacuation corridor. Statistical analysis using correlation coefficients and the Welch t-test were employed in the study.
  • The paper by Haowen Yan, Weifang Yang and Xiaomin Lu: provided information on their research: Quantitative expressions of spatial similarity between road networks in multiscale map spaces. Using road networks as an example, the authors proposed an approach to calculating the spatial similarity degree between a road network at a larger scale and its generalized counterpart at a smaller scale. They argue that the proposed quantitative method lays a foundation for using spatial similarity as a constraint during map generalization.
  • José Jesús Reyes Nunez provides a paper entitled: The presence of geoinformatics in Hungarian secondary education. The paper offers a brief background on the influence that geoinformatics currently exerts on geography teaching in Hungarian secondary schools:  the main characteristics of geography teaching at elementary and secondary levels; skills and competences that should be developed by geography in this level; and how geoinformatics could assist further development. Finally, some ideas are proposed that might increase the presence of geoinformatics in the teaching of geography at the secondary level.
  • Orienteering maps, perhaps the least familiar map type to cartographers, are addressed in the paper History of orienteering maps: in the light of the evolution of survey and reproduction techniques by László Zentai. Map symbology, surveying methods and printing technologies employed in the development and production of orienteering maps are explained.
  • Atlassing Sustainable Development: A Participatory and Critical Approach to Neighbourhoods in Transition by Barbara Roosen and Mela Zuljevic paper discusses the production of an atlas as a critical and trans-disciplinary practice for participatory research in sustainable development.  Starting from critical cartography and participatory mapping, the authors propose the process of ‘atlassing’ as a tool to support negotiation between various sustainability aspects in relation to everyday practices, different research inputs, actors and participatory activities.
  • The primary goal of the article by Nina Polous, Smart Cartography: representing complex geographical reality of 21st century, is to reflect on the term “Smart Cartography”. The author makes the term “cartography”, the focal point of the debate rather than the word “smart”. This paper simplifies the definition of cartography to the unexcludable “geographical reality,” critical for understanding our environment. It examines how this term has been interpreted historically and contemporarily since the mid-19th century.
  • Krzysztof Pokonieczny and Wojciech Dawid provide the paper The Application of Artificial Neural Networks for the Generalisation of Military Passability Maps. Passability maps are cartographic studies that are generally used by commanders when planning military operations. This article presents a methodology for the automated generalization of passability maps. For this purpose, artificial neural networks (ANN) were used, and, specifically, a multilayer perceptron. The paper describes the manner of preparing teaching data to train artificial neural networks and their implementation, which led to the creation of the resulting maps. In order to test the consistency of maps, Moran’s I spatial autocorrelation coefficient was determined.
  • Finally, a regular column in issues of this Journal – MAPS IN HISTORY by Imre Demhardt – focusses on : Cape Town’s changing waterfront.  Three maps – Plan of Cape Town (1854), South African Railways – Table Bay Harbour (1911) and Map of Cape Town (1948) – are used to ‘track’ the changes to the harbour.

Papers can be viewed via the Journal website.

Bill Cartwright and Anne Ruas
Editors, International Journal of Cartography

Category: General News

International Journal of Cartography, Issue 9.2, 2023 published

Cover International Journal of CartographyThe new issue of the International Journal of Cartography is now available on the Journal website

The list of papers published is provided below:

  • Editorial – New directions for the state of the art and science in Cartography
    Anthony C. Robinson, Pyry Kettunen, Luciene Delazari and Arzu Çöltekin
  • Potential of eye-tracking for interactive geovisual exploration aided by machine learning (Open Access)
    Merve Keskin & Pyry Kettunen
  • Moving Indoors: A Systematic Literature Review of Locomotion in Virtual Indoor Environments
    Pavel Pospíšil
  • Study about the appropriate number of participants in map user studies
    Vinicius Bergmann Martins, Fabrício Rosa Amorim, Marcio Augusto Reolon Schmidt & Luciene Stamato Delazari
  • Cartography & Geovisual Analytics in Personal Contexts: Designing for the Data Creator (Open Access)
    Jonathan Nelson
  • Eye-tracking in map use, map user and map usability research: what are we looking for? (Open Access)
    David Fairbairn and Jessica Hepburn
  • Missing the City for Buildings? A Critical Review of Pan-Scalar Map Generalization and Design in Contemporary Zoomable Maps
    Maieul Gruget, Guillaume Touya and Ian Muehlenhaus.
  • Using Geovisual Analytics to Enrich Conservation Science: A Review of Interactive Visualization of Wildlife Movement and Environmental Spatial Data Across Ecosystems
    Lindsay Lacey and Jonathan Nelson
  • Minimum Dimensions for Cartographic Symbology – History, Rationale and Relevance in the Digital Age (Open Access)
    Florian Ledermann
  • Incorporating Ideas of Structure and Meaning in Interactive Multi Scale Mapping Environments
    Guillaume Touya, Quentin Potie and William A. Mackaness
  • Cartographic perspectives on spatial and thematic levels of detail in augmented reality: a review of existing approaches
    Niki Anastopoulou, Margarita Kolka, Eleni Tomai, Kostas Cheliotis, Fotis Liarokapis, Katerina Pastra and Marinos Kavouras
  • How we see time — The Evolution and Current State of Visualizations of Temporal Data (Open Access)
    Verena Klasen, Edyta P. Bogucka, Liqiu Meng & Jukka M. Krisp

Also, you may have papers that you might wish to publish in the Journal. We would welcome the submission of appropriate papers.

William Cartwright, Melbourne, Australia
Anne Ruas, Paris, France
Editors, International Journal of Cartography

Category: General News

Invitation to Pre-ICC2023 Workshop: The Future of Atlases

Kindly note that this workshop has been CANCELLED.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.


The ICA Commission on Atlases is happy to invite you to another interesting Atlas Workshop: „The Future of Atlases“. We want to discuss with you the possibilities and challenges of atlases, perhaps resulting in an innovative, new atlas concept.

Background

In an era dominated by digital technologies and real-time information, the future of traditional atlases has become increasingly uncertain. These once-revered compilations of maps, charts, and geographic knowledge are now facing a myriad of challenges that question their relevance and longevity in the modern world.

One of the primary issues confronting atlases is their rather static nature. Geographic features such as coastlines, borders, and urban development are in a constant state of flux, while political shifts and territorial disputes further complicate the accuracy of conventional maps. As a result, atlases often fail to capture the most up-to-date and accurate information, undermining their utility in today’s dynamic global environment.

Moreover, the climate crisis has introduced an unprecedented level of environmental instability. Rising sea levels, shifting climate zones, and extreme weather events are redefining the very geography we once took for granted. The impact of these changes is significant and demands agile cartographic solutions that can quickly adapt to the new realities.

In addition, the rise of digital mapping platforms and GPS technology has further compounded the predicament of atlases. Online maps like Google Maps and interactive navigation tools on smartphones have revolutionized the way we access and interact with geographic information. With these tools offering real-time updates and personalized directions, the traditional atlas appears cumbersome and outdated in comparison. The ease and convenience of these digital services are gradually overshadowing the once-prestigious allure of physical and digital atlases.

The future of atlases lies in their ability to adapt and evolve. Hybrid approaches, combining physical maps with digital interfaces, might offer a compromise that respects tradition while harnessing the advantages of modern technology. Collaborative efforts between cartographers, geographers, and local communities can help ensure greater accuracy and inclusivity in geographic representation.

The workshop will address these and additional issues publisher of atlases are facing today. Keywords, such as narration and storytelling, openness, participation and transparency that seem to challenge atlas productions will discussed and evaluated.

Details

  • Workshop date: SAT 12. August
  • Workshop time: 09h00-13h00
  • Venue: Stellenbosch University, Chamber of Mines Building
  • Directions from CTICC: https://goo.gl/maps/ikHB9aw6oWdmaNfV8
  • Registration and Contact: Eric Losang (E_Losang [a] leibniz-ifl.de)

In the afternoon, we will participate in a trip to a winery and taste fine wine. The costs for the wine trip and the return trip to Capetown will be 750 Rand (40 Euro), with 15 participants at least.

Please register as soon as possible!

– Eric Losang & René Sieber

ICC2023: Early Bird Registration Special Ends May 31st

If you’re planning to attend the 31st Cartographic Conference 2023, now is the perfect time to register as our early bird registration offer ends on May 31st, 2023. Join 800 delegates from nearly 78 countries in Cape Town, South Africa!

We are also proud to announce that the UN-GGIM Africa 9th Meeting of the Regional Committee will be hosted alongside ICC 2023 as well as SDG DATA Hub Workshops that are open for all to attend. Register today on icc2023.org

We look forward to welcoming you in Cape Town!

Category: General News

Invitation to Pre-ICC2023 Workshop Other Cartographies

The ICA Commission on Art and Cartography invites to a workshop prior to ICC2023 in Cape Town, South Africa, on August 11, 2023. 

Background

The ICC2023’s theme is SMART CARTOGRAPHY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. How can this theme be interpreted through Art? The Commission on Art & Cartography’s Terms of Reference include the directive to “advance the field of artistic and experimental cartographies, including but not limited to such subfields as narrative cartography, cinematic cartography, sensory and phenomenological approaches to mapping, locative media, performative and performance-based cartographies, and media archaeological and other research-creation or practice-led processes.” What might “sustainability” mean in terms of these and other such subfields? However the theme is interpreted, one thing is clear: other ways are needed, other points of view, other methodologies, visions, practices. What other cartographies can challenge the status quo?

The goal of this workshop is to provide an intellectual and creative space to share different ideas around artistic methodologies of mapping and engaging with space and place, particularly those that challenge the status quo of capitalism, colonialism, extractive resource development (etc., the list is long). The format of the workshop will be as follows: a morning of lightning presentations from all of the participants, to introduce each other; an afternoon of 3-4 mini-workshops that explore different methodologies or practices related to our theme of Other Cartographies.

The workshop will be hosted by the National Geospatial Information in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday, August 11th from 10am-5pm. A catered lunch is included!

Please submit either a 100-150 word proposal if you are interested in leading a mini-workshop of about 45-60 minutes, or a short bio if interested in attending as a participant.

Submission Process & Registration

The workshop is open to everyone with an interest in alternative and sustainable mapping art practices and experimental cartographies. Registration is required and is free of charge. Please note that it is not necessary to be registered for the main ICC conference (which requires fees) to be able to attend the workshop. For more information or to register, please contact Workshop Coordinator Sharron Mirsky (see contact details on the workshop website).

Timeline

  • May 20, 2023 – Call for participants and workshop leaders
  • June 15, 2023 – Deadline for submitting abstracts and proposals (max. 150 words)
  • June 22, 2023 – Successful Applicants notified;
  • July 1, 2023 – Final program released;
  • August 11, 2023 – Workshop prior to the ICC 2023

Please find more information on the workshop website.

Cartographier pour un monde durable – French version of Mapping for a Sustainable World published

The book “Mapping for a Sustainable World”, a co-publication by the United Nations and the International Cartographic Association, has been translated to French – the second offical language of the ICA.

The pdf-version of the book written by Menno-Jan Kraak (ICA), Robert E. Roth (ICA), Britta Ricker (ICA), Ayako Kagawa (UN) and Guillaume Le Sourd (UN) can be downloaded from digitallibrary.un.org/record/3898826. A printed version is in preparation.

Category: General News
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