Why mapping

As a result, maps have become absolutely critical to most fields of human endeavour. This is a typical map published in the s. It incorporates the features which maps through the ages have focused on — describing the landscape — in this case the location and names of places, rivers etc and the coastline. In addition to this, it is colourful, has no decoration and gives an indication of the height of the land and depth of the sea — a theme.

Enter your Keywords. History of Mapping. Breadcrumb Home Fundamentals of Mapping. In the Beginning This tablet circa BC , which is in the collection of the British Museum, is an excellent example of Babylonian clay tablet maps. Maps are essentially tools which: for the map maker, record the location of places of interest. Compared to modern maps, early maps: depicted small areas a city, a trade route, a hunting ground, a military campaign etc. There have been multiple cases that deal with accidents related to GPS.

This applies to other aspects of our lives as well. The more we pay attention to the device, the less we pay attention to our surroundings. Maps, on the other hand, ground you to your surroundings. In this world, maps are the hero of the story and GPS will always be the sidekick. Maps give you a glimpse into how people understood their world at the time the map was created.

Take a look at an old map. Of course, old maps show you the differences of what was there then and what is there now but the map also shows you how the mapmakers understood their world.

Are there inaccuracies because of incorrect assumptions? The cartographer and reason for the development of the maps can completely change how a map looks.

Maps inspire you to think outside your world, to expand your horizons, and to take a look at the places you have been and the places you want to go to. Maps are the perfect conversation starter. Going on a trip can be a thrilling adventure but planning can also be an exciting part of your journey. Meanwhile, a major online mapping revolution is under way, and the implications of this are far-reaching. We all know that consumer maps are ubiquitous on smartphones and the web.

Map-based applications regularly rank among the most used programs on smartphones and mobile devices. Online maps have familiarized millions of people with how to work with maps, and this massive worldwide audience is ready to apply maps to their work in ever more imaginative ways using Web GIS. Any map that you make can be saved and shared online—intended for a specific audience and expected uses.

Online maps have an interface, a user experience UX that comes with each map, called an app. With the ArcGIS platform, a user which you are by reading this book and becoming a member of the Learn ArcGIS organization now has a wide range of options for designing and implementing purposeful maps and apps. The possibilities for engaging the audience that matters to you are endless.

Since the earliest recorded human history, maps have served to preserve and transmit geographic data by means of a visual representation. The best maps unlock the full potential of the underlying data. Online maps can also provide the same powerful emotional and visual appeal of the great, printed maps. The age-old idea of information arranged spatially and thoughtfully presented for an intended audience will always be the guiding philosophy behind the work of geographic storytellers.

Successful maps work because they present some piece of geographic information in ways that illuminate, elevate, distinguish, intrigue, inspire, and promote fresh perspectives or points of view.

GIS maps work because they convey information about real things that matter to real people. All the examples featured here in some way manage to inspire, distinguish, promote, intrigue, or elevate their subject matter. People are visual learners and seem to be instinctively attracted to maps.

Maps help us instantly perceive patterns, relationships, and situations. They not only organize and present the rich content of our world, they offer a unique contextual framework for understanding, predicting, and designing the future. GIS has a unique capability to integrate many kinds of data. It uses spatial location and digital map overlays to integrate and analyze the content of our world, uncovering relationships among all types of data.

Maps and data form the underpinnings of GIS, which then organizes information into separate layers that can be visualized, analyzed, and combined to uncover meaning in data. This combination has resulted in a powerful analytic technology that is science-based, trusted, and easily communicated using maps and other forms of geographic visualization.

Online maps provide the user experience of working with and deriving answers from GIS. Maps provide windows into rich information—you can reach into a map to extract all kinds of related information. Maps also provide analytic functions that derive new information layers that enable us to answer whole new kinds of questions. Because you can add new layers from many sources, you can gain a new perspective and a deeper understanding about the problems and issues that you are trying to address.

Perhaps the most profound role that maps play is that they provide a platform for engagement and conversations, for representing many points of view, for understanding the perspectives of others, and for helping humanity find answers to the many problems we face, things we care about—worthy goals that we can come together on.

Web maps are online maps created with ArcGIS that provide a way to work and interact with geographic content organized as layers. They are shared across your organization and beyond on the web and across smartphones and tablets. Each map contains a reference basemap along with a set of additional data layers, plus tools that work on these layers. The tools can do simple things, such as open a pop-up window when you click on the map, or more complex things, such as performing spatial analysis and telling you the agricultural crop production in every county across the United States.

At their heart, GIS maps are simple. Start with a basemap and mash it up with your own data layers or those from other ArcGIS users. Then add tools that support what you want your users to do with your map: tell stories, perform analytical studies, collect data in the field, or monitor and manage operations. Virtually anything you do with GIS can be shared using maps.

And they can go anywhere. GIS maps work online and on any smartphone, and along with your supporting GIS work, they are accessible anytime.

Anyone can make, share, and use web maps. You can start by going through a short example. Suppose you want to make a map that allows you to explore the food, architecture, and design destinations for San Diego.

Add your data layers and specify how each will be symbolized and portrayed. Create pop-ups that enable users to explore features by clicking on them. Save your map into your My Content folder with a good description and a thoughtful name. The idea of a digital map mashup—recombining various geographic layers—is one of the great force multipliers in modern cartography.

This ability to easily share and repurpose digital content has allowed individuals to create far more ambitious maps than would be possible if they had to work in isolation or start from scratch. The rise of the map mashup expanded cartography, so that anyone could build upon the work of others. Most of the thousands of maps created and shared every day within ArcGIS are created this way—maps that build upon the data, labor, and insights of the larger community.

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