CONTRIBUTIONS OF ANALYTICAL CARTOGRAPHY TO GISCIENCE
ISBN 978-85-88783-11-9
Authors
1Moellering, H.
1OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Email: moellering.1@osu.edu
Abstract
The modern origins of Analytical Cartography largely began with the work of Waldo Tobler in the 1960s, although one can trace ancient roots of the field to the 5th Century BC when map projections were invented by the ancient Greeks. Tobler's primary goal is to "solve cartographic problems" in a quantitative/analytical way in order "to capture this theory". From that scientific beginning point, Tobler and many colleagues have worked to expand the conceptual base of Analytical Cartography to what it is at the present time. The fundamental origins of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) began under the leadership of Roger Tomlinson, Duane Marble, A. Raymond Boyle in the 1960s, who led this work under the banner of spatial data handling. Mike Goodchild worked to expand the conceptual notion of GIS in the 1990s to include a heavier emphasis on spatial theory and analysis. During this effort he coined the name of Geographic Information Science (GISci) to recognize this scientific extension of the field. In an examination of the fields of Analytical Cartography and GIScience at a very general level, it becomes clear that they are each composed of some mix of Geography, Cartography, Mathematics, Computer Graphics and Image Analysis. This broad insight shows them to be similar at the most general level. This work will first examine Analytical Cartography and GIScience in terms of the GIScience Body of Knowledge at a very general level. Then it will identify commonalities and touching points between the two fields that illustrates the conceptual relationships between them.
Keywords
Analytical Cartography; GIScience; Body of Knowledge