Brief Introduction to Cartography

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Brief Introduction to Cartography

• Michael A. McAdamsGeography Dept.Fatih
  UniversityIstanbul, Turkey

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A warming up exercise

• How do you tell people directions to somewhere?
• Have you ever used the terms north, south,
  east or west to describe directions?
• Do you use reference locations? For example, It
  is two blocks from the E-5? Or, It will be right
  in front of you when you get off the bus. It is
  right on the Sea of Marmara.
• Describe to someone how you would get to Fatih
  University from Atatürk International Airport
• Have you ever drawn a map to illustrate to
  someone how to get somewhere?
• Everyone is an amateur cartographer
• However, this class will help you on the way to
  be a professional cartographer

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Why is cartography important?

• To communicate geographic information in a
  graphic form as a digital image or a paper map
  (analog)
• Why do we want to communciate geographic
  information?
• Why are graphics better than description? (graphs
  are also graphics)A picture tells a thousand
  words. Why?

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Geographic Information

• Information that has a location
• Can you name something that has a location?
• Does this information have other characteristics
  (attributes)?
• Why is a map better to help communicate location?

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Two forms of graphic display of geographic
information

• Digital (computer files and associated program)
• Analog (paper)
• Are there advantages and disadvantages of digital
  and analog formats?

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Maps and Location

• How would you describe a location?
• Lets look at some examples

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Fatih University
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Istanbul
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Türkiye
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Do you know what is different about this image?
what do the colors represent? Is this a map?)
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Why is this a map?
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Cartography Definition

• Cartography is the science and study of making
  maps

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Maps have two functions

• Storage medium for information that society needs
• Provides a picture of the world to help us
  understand spatial patterns and the complexity of
  the environment which we live

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Cartography Now

• Digital databases are replacing the printed map
  as a means of storage of geographic information
• Intergrated with spatial technologies (i.e.,
  Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing,
  Global Positioning Systems) and intergral part of
  Geographic Information Science (the science of
  the definition, use, analysis/interpretation of
  geographic information)

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Cartography Tommorrow

• Maps will not dissapear but will be transformed
• Maps will still be present in the medium of
  communication
• Increasing intergration of spatial technologies
• Cartographic principles will aid as a guide for
  these developing spatial technologies

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Conclusion

• Cartography is both an art and a science
• It is a very robust sub-discipline of Geography
  which is rich and dynamic
• The cartographic principles we learn in this
  class will be directly useful in such classes as
  GIS and Remote Sensing
• These principles will be important in other
  classes as you may have to understand maps or
  construct them for assignments or projects