History of Cartography/GIS 1.2

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History of Cartography/GIS1.2
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Historical Foundations

• Evidence of early maps
• Babylonians- earth as flat circular disk on clay
  tablets
• Pre-Columbian maps in MX- footprints to rep.
  roads
• Eskimos- ivory/wooden coast maps
• Incas- relief maps of stone and clay
• Chinese- lit. refers to maps 7th century BCE
• Plato- 1st to say world is round
• Aristotle- proved it with Earths shadow crossing
  the moon

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CARTOGRAPHY

• Hipparchus- 1st grid system, but lines followed
  natural features
• Eratosthenes
• 1st to coin term geography
• Determined Earths circumference using the angle
  of the sun and two points on Earth
• 99.5 correct!
• Divided Earth into 5 climate
• regions

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CARTOGRAPHY

• Ptolmey- Compiled first atlas for library in
  Alexandria (Guide to Geography)
• Remained geocentric ?
• Calculated Earth to ¾ actual size
• Fixed Hipparchus lines

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Ptolemys 1st world map (150 CE)
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• 14th century- Marco Polo inspired others
• 16th century- Mercator Projection for mariners
• 17th century- continents/oceans correctly
  displayed
• 19th century-
• Natl Geographic Society formed
• Metric System simplified, universal
• Prime Meridian estab.
• 20th century
• Aerial photographs, remote sensing, GIS, GPS, etc.

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Modern Tools

• Remote Sensing- acquisition of data about Earths
  surface from a satellite orbiting
• Used primarily for environmental applications
• Global Positioning System- determines precise
  location of something on Earth
• Used primarily of navigation
• Geographic Information Systems