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

Map of the Month 07/2014: Over the Edge in 3D: Death in Grand Canyon

At the 26th International Cartography Conference in Dresden, Germany, “Over the Edge in 3D: Death in Grand Canyon” won the first jury prize in the category Maps on paper. The jury stated:

Eye-catching and technically innovative product which pushes the limits of what paper maps can do

“Over the Edge in 3D: Death in Grand Canyon” by Kenneth Field and Damien Demaj, Esri Inc.
Most impressive in full screen view (button on the right).

Publisher’s Description: Over 700 deaths have occurred in Grand Canyon from the first river exploration by John Wesley Powell and his crew of 1869 to tourists falling off the rim today. This map is presented using a chromastereoscopic technique and is best viewed with Chromadepth 3D glasses. Chromastereoscopy is a holographic 3D image display technique that allows the creation of images that can be viewed as 2 dimensional images alone, but which jumps into holographic 3D when viewed with Chromadepth 3D glasses. The technique encodes depth of viewing using colour. When a black background is defined, then red is assigned depth that is seen closest to the point of view and and blue furthest. Other colours are placed between these two visual endpoints. This works since the Chromadepth glasses contain small prisms that bend the different wavelengths of light toward the eye at different angles. Thus, we see colours at different depths. Unlike other 3D viewing techniques the original image can also be viewed unhindred. The map therefore has the unique property of being visible and legible in both 2D and 3D. The natural reds of Grand Canyon make this a good candidate for this type of map since it is not that jarring when viewed. The plateaus surrounding the canyon are in a rich red which descend to the blues of the Colorado River. Elevation has been colour encoded but so have all of the other design components in the map to position them at particular visual levels and to create both a hierarchy and good visual contrast. Using colour as part of the cartographic design process literally adds depth to the map. The technique works equally well on screen and the map has a companion online version.

Map by Kenneth Field and Damien Demaj, Esri Inc. Locations of deaths based on Ghiglieri, M. P. and Myers, T. M. (2012) Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon (2ed), Puma Press, Flagstaff AZ. Used with permission. Basemap data sources: National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, ESRI, Inc.,U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. National Park Service, Navteq

  • Size (mm): 1850 x 1050
  • Authors: Kenneth Field and Damien Demaj
  • Date of Edition: July 2012
  • Language: English
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