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 2023-2027Get to know the ICA Commissions 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
Get to know the ICA Commissions for the term 2023-2027

eCARTO News October 2023

eCARTO News captures the latest cartographic news and developments from around the world. If you have any general cartography items of interest then please email them to David Fraser, editor of eCARTO News.

Industry

  • Geospatial pioneer celebrates anniversary with mobile mapping solution launch – gim-international.com
  • Bentley Sees Potential of AI, Gets Deeper in Subsurface Mapping – enr.com
  • Data Doctors: Google Maps vs. Waze – wtop.com
  • Google Maps vs. Apple Maps: Which navigation app is best? – tomsguide.com
  • The cool new Apple Maps features you’re not using, but should be – thepointsguy.com

Education & Training & Opportunities

Cartographers

History

  • A $7.5-million find: Overlooked Getty estate sale map turns out to be 14th century treasure – latimes.com
  • Map of the Ancient Roman World from their perspective – vividmaps.com

Out of this world

  • NASA Is Locating Ice on Mars With This New Map – nasa.gov
  • Atacama Cosmology Telescope Reveals New Dark Matter Map – miragenews.com
  • Precision Space Map Measures 400,000 Nearby Galaxies – miragenews.com

Just Maps

Related

Environment

  • Mapping methane: Satellites seek out gas-spewing waste sites – aljazeera.com
  • MapLab: Uncovering the Native Landscape of Los Angeles – bloomberg.com
  • Mapping hidden meltwater paths in glaciers: importance – miragenews.com
  • Remember the climate map from your school atlas? Here’s what climate change is doing to it – phys.org
  • Wildlife Worldwide Contaminated by Flame Retardants: New Map – ens-newswire.com
  • Research Refines Accuracy of East Asia’s Planted Forest Mapping – miragenews.com
  • Proposed offshore wind map protects a key Maine lobster fishing ground – newhampshirebulletin.com

 

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the weblink authors are their own and do not represent the official position of the ICA. The links are assembled for information and education purposes only.

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

President’s Blog: A new dawn – the beginning of a new term in ICA

New ICA Executive Committee for the term 2023-2027

The International Cartographic Association sees a change of its “term” every fourth year. This change is a result of the discussions and decisions at the General Assembly of the national members of ICA. The most recent General Assembly (the 19th of ICA) took place during the (most successful) International Cartographic Conference 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa and decided on the main proponents of the new term, which will last from 2023 to 2027.

Let me introduce you to the new members of the Executive Committee:

    • President Georg Gartner (Austria)
    • Secretary General Thomas Schulz (Switzerland)
    • Past President Timothy Trainor (United States of America)
    • Vice President Serena Coetzee (South Africa)
    • Vice President Dariusz Dukaczewski (Poland)
    • Vice President Amy Griffin (Australia)
    • Vice President Haosheng Huang (Belgium)
    • Vice President Alex Kent (United Kingdom
    • Vice President Jiping Liu (China)
    • Vice President Dusan Petrovic (Slovenia)
Georg Gartner

Georg Gartner

Thomas Schulz

Thomas Schulz

Tim Trainor

Tim Trainor

Serena Coetzee

Serena Coetzee

Dariusz Dukaczewski

Dariusz Dukaczewski

Amy Griffin

Amy Griffin

Haosheng Huang

Haosheng Huang

Alex Kent

Alex Kent

Jiping Liu

Jiping Liu

Dušan Petrovič

Dušan Petrovič

This team has already met for the first Executive Committee meeting in Vienna and is keen to advance the International Cartographic Associations activities, instruments, aims and scope further. By doing so we are happy to build upon most successful former terms, such as the now ended with President Tim Trainor. We are highly grateful for all the work which has been done on behalf of ICA and we feel inspired to follow those paths!

– Georg Gartner
President of the International Cartographic Association

eCARTO News September 2023

eCARTO News captures the latest cartographic news and developments from around the world. If you have any general cartography items of interest then please email them to David Fraser, editor of eCARTO News.

Publications

Education & Training & Opportunities

  • British Cartographic Society 2022-2023 Awards – cartography.org.uk
  • New multimedia cartography laboratory opened at University Park – psu.edu

History

Built Environment

Just Maps

Cartophiles

Industry

  • Map buried inside your phone reveals where you’ve been and photos you snapped there – foxnews.com

Related

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the weblink authors are their own and do not represent the official position of the ICA. The links are assembled for information and education purposes only.

eCARTO News August 2023

eCARTO News captures the latest cartographic news and developments from around the world. If you have any general cartography items of interest then please email them to David Fraser, editor of eCARTO News.

Opportunities & Publications

Education & Training

  • Navigating by touch with 3D maps – geoweeknews.com
  • When Art Meets Strategy: Unveiling the Craft of Military Cartography – sofrep.com
  • Ordnance Survey reveals top map symbol requests – bbc.com
  • Create your maps with IMAGE, our map generator tool – ec.europa.eu

History

  • Heritage sites promoted on new Unesco map – bbc.com
  • Rare map from the 1500s shows the land before Great Britain was created – msn.com
  • John Speed – author of one of the world’s great cartographic treasures – dailyecho.co.uk
  • Library’s precious atlas charts a course through nation’s history – news.leeds.gov.uk
  • The 1930s: When London Was Really Put On The Map – londonist.com

Nature

  • YSE Scientists Make Critical Breakthrough in Mapping Global Methane Emissions from Rivers and Streams – environment.yale.edu
  • Mapping hidden meltwater paths in glaciers: importance – miragenews.com

Built Environment

  • Paved paradise: Maps show how much of US cities are parking lots – thehill.com
  • New Yorkers, how much shade does your street really have? This map will tell you. – gothamist.com

Hot Topics

  • Registro de incendios forestales en el mundo – esa.int
  • Where extreme heat stifles London’s neighbourhoods most — in maps – cbc.ca
  • NCEI Supports Heat Mapping Study in Asheville – ncei.noaa.gov
  • Mapping the hottest temperatures around the world – aljazeera.com
  • What you need to know about online fire maps – cabinradio.ca
  • Introducing powerful new cartographic design tools, including heat maps – felt.com
  • CityLAB’s new tree mapping feature calls Berliners towards a greener future – archinect.com

Opinion

  • Here’s why the Greenwich Prime Meridian is actually in the wrong place – theconversation.com
  • Cómo hacer que los datos ayuden a hacer la normativa de la UE sobre deforestación justa y viable – es.weforum.org
  • Geospatial technology could help St. Louis area students map their futures – audacy.com
  • A decade after a disastrous launch, is Apple Maps finally good? – theguardian.com

Industry

Animations

  • Animated map reveals the 550,000 miles of cable hidden under the ocean that power the internet – youtube.com

Related

  • La Vuelta a Espana 2023 stage-by-stage guide: Route maps and profiles of all 21 days – independent.co.uk
  • New map shows Galway Bay in unprecedented stunning detail – galwaydaily.com

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the weblink authors are their own and do not represent the official position of the ICA. The links are assembled for information and education purposes only.

President’s Blog: Thanks for a great ICC2023

Dear ICA Colleagues,

Many friends just completed their participation in the 31st International Cartographic Conference (ICC) in Cape Town South Africa. It was a highly successful conference. We will offer different highlights with accompanying photographs to share with everyone in future blog posts. The opening ceremony was full of local South African culture interspersed with messages from the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the National Research Foundation of South Africa and Sister Society representatives including the International Hydrographic Office. There were 845 delegates to the ICC, a higher number than anticipated. This was due in part to representation by 33 African countries. The high number was made possible by a concurrent meeting of Africa Region of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) and workshops offered by the SDG Data Alliance where both organizations took part in various aspects of the ICC program, including the five interesting keynote presentations. The conference was book-ended by the 19th General Assembly for the ICA. More on that in a future blog.

Tim Trainor
Immediate Past President

 

Tim Trainor, President of ICA and Morena Letsosa, President of ICC2023 at the Opening Ceremony
ICC2023 Opening Ceremony
ICC2023 Opening Ceremony
ICC2023 Opening Ceremony
Photos by Stephan Wondrak – thanks!

Obituary: Igor Drecki – A passionate Cartographer

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we remember our friend and colleague Igor Drecki who, with his wife Iwona, met an untimely end in a car accident on July 26.

Igor was the official New Zealand representative at the general assemblies of the ICA since 1999. He was organizer of numerous ICA events in New Zealand, including the ICA Commission on Visualisation and Virtual Environments Meeting “Geovisualisation on the Web” (Taupo 2001), ICA Internet Cartography Seminar (Auckland 2005), ICA Internet Cartography Workshop (Auckland 2006), and ICA Regional Symposia on Cartography for Australasia and Oceania (Auckland 2010, 2012, 2014 and Wellington, 2016). He was also co-organizer of the 8th ICA Mountain Cartography Workshop (Taurewa 2012). In addition to being an ex-officio member of the ICA Executive Committee (since 2007), he was probably best known to many within and outside the ICA as editor of the ICA News, the official newsletter of the ICA. For his many notable contributions to the ICA, he received the Diploma for Outstanding Services to the ICA in 2017.

In 2017, Igor received the ICA Diploma for Outstanding Services from then-president Menno-Jan Kraak.

His passion for cartography started with his master studies in geography and cartography at the University of Warsaw, and it continued after he settled with his wife Iwona in New Zealand while pursuing a master’s of science degree at the University of Auckland on “Visualization of Uncertainty in Spatial Data”. His research and work experience included professional positions in academia, industry, public administration and most recently libraries and learning services. He was the responsible curator of cartographic and geographic resources of the University of Auckland Library, then latterly curator, Cartographic and Geospatial Collections at the Alexander Turnbull Library, housed within the National Library of New Zealand in Wellington.

Igor was instrumental in the success of the New Zealand Cartographic Society (NZCS). He was a member since 1989 and a life member since 2011; president from 2013 to 2018; NZCS’s (as national member) liaison to the International Cartographic Association (ICA); and director of the biennial New Zealand national cartographic conference, GeoCart, since 2001.

Igor Drecki at GeoCart 2022

Despite his impressive professional record and accomplishments, Igor was “authentic”. He had strong opinions and was ready to stand up for them; he was passionate about cartography and maps; and was a staunch advocate for cartography. But more than this, he was a person who could relate to others. He was interested to learn, discuss, exchange as well as interrelate, give, serve, help, and contribute. This was certainly true for his colleagues and his family, but also for those of us who considered Igor a friend. He was a noble man at heart.

We will miss you, Igor.

Aileen Buckley, Anthony Moore, Dusan Petrovic, Georg Gartner

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

Passing of Igor Drecki, Editor, ICA News

Editor ICA News Igor DreckiIt is with a heavy heart that I inform our ICA community of the tragic passing of our dear friend and colleague, Igor Drecki from New Zealand, and his wife, Iwona. Igor served with distinction as the Editor of ICA News. Igor will be sadly missed by all. Our condolences go out to the family of Igor and Iwona. More details to follow as we learn them.

– Tim Trainor
President of the International Cartographic Association

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