Maplines Winter 2010 by The British Cartographic Society

What makes Asia? 8-9

Map Projections 10

The Importance of Zero

BCS AGM/EGM 14-15

See pages 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5 Winter 2010

Editorial

From the Editors Season’s greetings to you all from the team here at Maplines! Now, instead of our usual brief editorial highlights of the issue you have in your hand (this time you will have to find out for yourself!), I thought I would use this, albeit brief, space to issue a plea to all our members, wherever you are, to get involved and contribute to the Society in any way you feel fit.

You might like to enter our quiz, or email us your wintery map-themed pictures, or simply respond to one of our articles, but the point is that you do get in touch. We are always on the lookout for content for our newsletter, the more varied the better in fact, so don’t be shy, jot down your latest cartographical meanderings of the mind and drop us an email.

No doubt we will all find ourselves with a little free time over the festive period, whether snowed in or not, it would be good to hear from you. For now, I ask you to sit back in your comfiest armchair, stoke up the fire, dim the fairy lights and indulge yourselves with a little Maplines. Until 2011. Adam On behalf of Lynda, Martin, Mark, Adam, Maplines Editors

Mapping America Mapping America: Exploring the Continent is a handsomely illustrated survey of North America’s cartographic landscape, and the latest title in Black Dog Publishing’s award-winning mapping series. Featuring an array of maps that chart the development of the continent, Mapping America explores a gamut of cartographic methods, from early engravings, to the latest satellite technology. Mapping America contains Editors Contact details: Senior Editor Lynda Bailey: lynda.bailey2@virgin.net Senior Editor, Design & Production Martin Lubikowski: mldesign@btclick.com tel: 020 8778 4429 Editor Adam King: amadking2@yahoo.co.uk Editor, Design & Production Mark Sansom: m.sansom@tayloryoung.co.uk Tel: 01625 542 200 Deadline for copy for the Spring 2011 edition is 19 February The comments in Maplines are those of the Editors and Contributors and not necessarily those of the BCS. If you would like to sponsor the Maplines Quiz please contact the Editors.

maps from four centuries, portraying the emotive story of North America’s progression, from colonial beginnings, through to the division of the states, and up to the current day. Mapping America is exquisitely presented, with hundreds of maps ranging from the historically accurate and informative, to the creative and entertaining. Mapping America presents the reader with a multi-faceted view of the North American physical and cultural landscape; from electoral routes to diminishing native communities, landmark events such as the Civil War, to more recent concerns, including the environment and terrorism. The book also considers the stories maps contain, documenting America’s rich and complex history. Jack Kerouac’s journey in his seminal novel On the Road is depicted in a hand-drawn map. Several artists known for their interest in cartography are also featured, including Paula Scher’s The United States and Daniel Medina’s Map Cube World. Beautifully presented, Mapping America is not just for cartography enthusiasts but anyone who enjoys the inherent adventure of maps. Mapping America: Exploring the

Continent will appeal to the general reader, as well as specialists in the areas of geography, art, architecture and design, and will be a great gift for any occasion.

Mapping America: Exploring the Continent is published by Black Dog Publishing, ISBN: 978 1 907317 08 8, priced £24.95 A 40% discount is available to BCS members by placing an order with Jess Atkins at: jess@blackdogonline.com.

Volume 16, 3rd Issue, Winter 2010

illustrations in this issue Front Cover: Design – Mark Sansom Artwork (and page 4) – Michael Ferrar Photography – Lynda Bailey p8-9 Asia maps – David Miller

Photographs pages 6-7, 10-11, 17 – Martin Lubikowski All other photography copyright: Lynda Bailey or the British Cartographic Society

Registered Charity No. 240034

2 • Winter 2010 / Maplines

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

President

Notes from our President On 25 November the AGM saw the change of BCS President and the confirmation of the members of the new Council (for more details see p14). We would like to say congratulations and a huge thank you to Bob for everything he has achieved over the past two years and hello to Peter as he takes up his new responsibilities. his is my opportunity as out-going President to say goodbye and thanks for all the support I’ve been given; special thanks go to those who have responded to my notes in Maplines with their own views.

These past two years have really flown by with lots of activity in re-shaping the Society particularly around reorganising its governance, improvements to the symposium, and the highly successful Better Mapping campaign. This is all on top of the ongoing achievements of our publications, the Special Interest Groups, etc. My gratitude goes to those who freely give their time to ensure success in all we do; the list of individuals is long but you know who you are – thank you. In my last notes for Maplines I made mention of my belief, particularly in these difficult times, of the need to collaborate with other organisations and industries on matters where we have a common interest. I’m delighted to announce that one of my final acts as President was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) to build on our Better Mapping partnership by identifying where we may work together in continuing to promote cartography and geographic information for the benefit of both our members and the nation. The Memorandum of Understanding is, of course, underpinned by the assurance that each party retains its respective corporate identity and all that entails. Finally, once again I offer my thanks to the outgoing Council for the past two years and my very best wishes for the future to Peter and the new Council in leading the Society through to future growth and success. Bye for now.

irst my thanks to Bob Lilley for getting us started on the re-organisation following the Strategic Review. I am delighted to have been elected President of the British Cartographic Society for the coming year. It has been an ambition of mine for some time but a 6 year commitment prior to the Review I felt was difficult to guarantee. Moreover, recent changes within the ‘cartographic’ community and mapping business mean that few could now pledge to serve for so long. So, for me and all those others who aspire to the position the Review was most timely and appropriate.

So what are my plans for the next year? The work of the Council and the Committees in this new regime is settling down. As with every similar society a key concern is maintaining and expanding membership. Where are our new members going to come from? Almost certainly the majority are going to come from the GIS community. That community continues to expand despite and because of the present economic difficulties. More and more industries from a wider variety of businesses are taking GIS to improve their efficiency. It’s these people and organisations we need to influence.

Bob Lilley

Peter Jolly

The ground work for this has already started with Better Mapping events and the formation of the GIS SIG within BCS. This is an area we need to expand, whenever the opportunity arises and we have the resources available, go out to those organisations that seek to improve their cartography. This is key, this is what our Society has to offer, the knowledge, skill and expertise that is the art of cartography. Peter Jolly Incoming BCS President pjolly@esriuk.com

Bob Lilley Outgoing BCS President bob.lilley@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Maplines / Winter 2010 • 3

Cartography

Zero Longitude hen Eratosthenes of Cyrene became librarian at Alexandria, even though it had not been long established, the texts available contained facts concerning the oikoumene or known World (Es1).

Eratosthenes was a mathematician, correspondent of Archimedes and measured not only the oikoumene but also the sphere of the World. His work is recorded by Strabo (Es1) who in his Book 1, chapter 4, para 5, states that Eratosthenes measured the oikoumene commencing at the Capes of Iberia, to the Capes of India. However he required to maintain the Greek metaphysical proportion of length (longitude) to breadth (latitude) and thus states, ‘And he adds to the aforesaid length-distance still other stadia, namely 2000 on the west and 2000 on the east in order to keep the breadth from being more than half the length.’ Thus Eratosthenes determined his zero longitude as 2000 stadia west of the Capes of Iberia (90° 35’W) which at 360°N adds some 3½ degrees. Thus geographically the zero longitude is c.130°W, but the bulge of West Africa at Cape Vert/Dakar is 17.50°. Marinus the Tyrian (Mt1, Mt2) as recorded by Claudius Ptolemy (Cp1 to Cp4) in his ‘Geographike Hyphegesis’ lists the oikoumene length commencing with 2.50 or 1000 stadia to the Sacred Promontory of Iberia (Cape St Vincent, one of the Capes of Iberia), at 90°W. Thus the zero longitude is reduced to a geographical 20° west of Cape St Vincent at 360°N, and thus a longitude of 110°W. Therefore we see from the map of Marinus /Ptolemy a complete contraction to the west coast of Africa (Cp4). In Book 4, chapter 6 of ‘Geographike Hyphegesis’ states - ‘The islands near Libya in the western ocean are: Cerne 5° 00’E/25° 40’N; Junonia or Autolala 8° 00’E/23° 50’N 4 • Winter 2010 / Maplines

and the six Beatorum Islands; Inaccessa 0° 00’E/16° 00’N; Pluvialia 0° 00’E/14° 15’N; Canaria 1° 00’E/11° 00’N; Junonia 1° 00’E/15° 15’N; Capraria 0° 00’E/12° 30’N; Ninguaria 0° 00’E/10° 30’N.’

but Pluvialia meaning rainy could apply to Tenerife which has 250 mm rain in December. However, Ninguaria, which is Latin for snowy, probably refers also to Tenerife because of the snow on Mount Tiede. Capraria means ‘goats’ and is probably Fuerteventura and Inaccessa, Isla de Alegranza.

And thus we have the data which has caused a long long argument. But the etymology of the names suggests the Canary Islands are meant. Obviously Canaria is a given,

But the etymological argument cannot disguise the fact that they are geographically 280°N and not in the range of 100° 30’N to 160°N as in the text. Marinus/Ptolemy use three

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Cartography

very distinct parallels accurately placed juxta each other. They are 310°N, Alexandria; 380° 15’N, Sacred Promontory; 430°N, Byzantium. They are dimensionally correct and can thus be used as a latitudinal basis to evaluate the Beatorum Islands (Cp1). Their latitudes came originally from sailing distances which were no doubt recorded north/south along the west coast of Africa. Thus by constructing a map of West Africa and juxta-posing the geographical plot to the Marinus/ Ptolemaic plot we can establish the actual islands of the Zero Longitude. The diagram illustrates that situation and confirms that the Zero Longitude Islands are in fact the Cape Verde Islands which are set from 15°/170°N and 22°/250°W Geographical. Therefore it is possible to opine that two sets of islands, the Canaries and the Cape Verde’s, were coalesced into one group in ancient times by the

amalgamation of the geographical data for the Cape Verde’s and the names/descriptive nouns of the Canary Islands. Curiously there are six Beatorum Islands and six islands in the main Cape Verde Group (Barlavento). But we are told that the Portuguese discovered the Cape Verde Islands in c1460CE. However in 1579, Christopher Saxton on his map of England and Wales chose to use the Cape Verde’s as his zero longitude (Cp1). Thus we should be thankful that cartography was firmly established some 2000 years ago, even though it took another 1500 years for the data to be properly used. Michael J Ferrar These notes are taken from texts, referred to by number e.g. Cp1 available at www.cartographyunchained.com, with full colour diagrams for each text.

The Bradley Meridian The Greenwich Meridian was set according to the locaton of the telescope used by the Astronomer Royal to establish time. Between 1750 and 1850, the Greenwich Meridian was marked by the north-south line running through the Transit Instrument first used by James Bradley, the 3rd Astronomer Royal (1742-62). The Bradley Meridian served as Longtitude 0° for all of the earliest Ordnance Survey maps in England. When the Airy Transit Circle Telescope was erected in 1850, the Greenwich Meridian was moved approximately 19ft east to its present location. This move equals only 1 ⁄30th of a second of time – a quantity too small for ninteenth century astronomers to measure. © National Maritime Museum, London

The Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time Since the late 19th century, the Prime Meridian at Greenwich has served as the reference line for Greenwich Mean Time. Before this, almost every town in the World kept its own local time. There were no national or international conventions which set how time should be measured, or when the day would begin and end, or what length an hour might be. However, with the vast expansion of the railway and communications networks during the 1850s and 1860s, the need for an international time standard became imperative. The Greenwich Meridian was chosen as the Prime Meridian of the World at the 1884 International Meridian Conference, by a vote of 22 to 1 against (San Domingo), with two abstentions (France and Brazil). There were two main reasons for the choice – the USA had already chosen Greenwich as the basis for its own national time zone system and in the

late 19th century, 72% of the World's commerce depended on sea-charts which used Greenwich as the Prime Meridian. The decision, essentially, was based on the argument that by naming Greenwich as Longitude 0°, it would be advantageous to the largest number of people. Therefore the Prime Meridian at Greenwich became the centre of World time. The Prime Meridian was defined by the position of the large ‘Transit Circle’ telescope in the Grenwich Observatory’s Meridian Building. The transit circle was built by Sir George Biddell Airy, the 7th Astronomer Royal, in 1850. The cross-hairs in the eyepiece of the Transit Circle precisely defined Longitude 0° for the World. As the Earth’s crust is moving very slightly all the time the exact position of the Prime Meridian is now moving very slightly too, but the original reference for the Prime Meridian of the World

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

remains the Airy Transit Circle in the Royal Observatory, even if the exact location of the line may move to either side of Airy’s meridian. © National Maritime Museum, London

Maplines / Winter 2010 • 5

Cartography

Better Mapping II: the next level – From Mary Spence MBE t hardly seems four years since BCS launched its Better Mapping campaign in the autumn of 2006 with the first series of one-day training seminars visiting Cardiff, Liverpool, Edinburgh and London. We had embarked upon a journey which has been gathering momentum ever since – the mission to share our knowledge and skills with mapmakers untrained in the discipline of cartography.

In order to attract the widest possible audience these first events were sponsored by BCS and Corporate Members were invited to exhibit their wares. Alas, such largesse could not be upheld and subsequent events have been organised on a risk/cost-shared model in conjunction with the Association for Geographic Information (AGI). In 2008, we took our message to Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds and London and a splendid little A5 booklet entitled Cartography an introduction was published in support of the campaign.

delivering at both fundamental and higher levels. In March 2011, BCS goes to Belfast as guests of our friends at OSNI where local speakers will join some of the original team to share the Better Mapping experience. I think we have demonstrated that good cartography is essential in the preparation of maps that communicate their message efficiently and effectively. I believe we have turned the corner and now have the attention of the wider mapmaking community. Onwards and upwards, as they say! From Giles Darkes It’s a privilege to be asked to give another talk for the BCS, and of course a mixture of pleasure and mild dread! As anyone who does such things on a regular basis knows, it takes many hours of preparation to produce a good presentation. Researching the images alone is a lengthy task; what did we do before

we had the Internet to help? However, this November’s Better Mapping II, the next level seminar held in London on 24th November was a real success. The preparation was rewarded by an enthusiastic reception and a feeling that the message about good cartography is getting through. As Mary Spence has said, the aim was to build on the foundations laid down in previous seminars and to take the message about effective map design and preparation to the next stage. We assumed a basic knowledge of map design in our audience and emphasised some of the more specialised aspects of cartography, including visualisation and the elusive subject of what makes a map aesthetically pleasing. With six speakers, the day ranged quite widely in terms of subjects covered. Mary started the day by summarising the gist of Better Mapping in 2009, and recapping on the essential aspects of design that any cartographer should take into consideration in planning and

The BCS Roadshow was born in 2009 when the four seminars were repeated on consecutive days during a whirlwind tour to Bristol, Glasgow, Birmingham and London rather than being spread over a few weeks as before. Such an intense programme was exhausting but exhilarating for the presenters and exceedingly efficient in terms of consistent delivery. Since the first seminars in 2006, the quality of presentation and breadth of content has consistently improved with each successive series and a call for more in-depth teaching on aspects of cartography was growing. Hence Better Mapping II, the next level, the first of which was presented on 24th November. Sadly, this solitary 2010 event in London hardly constitutes a roadshow but we will continue to liaise with AGI for future events, 6 • Winter 2010 / Maplines

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Cartography

two perspectives creating a map. Steve Chilton gave a very neat summary and useful evaluation of the increasing number of sources of mapped data available, concentrating on the ‘free’ or open sources and comparing the positive and more doubtful aspects of this type of data. Clare Seldon inspired us by looking at the current and future applications of digital mapping, hazarding a guess at what lies ahead, and making us all realise that thinking primarily of paper map production may be the wrong approach to take! Alex Kent tackled the tricky question of the aesthetic design and appeal of maps. Ken Field flew by the seat of his pants, as the saying goes, by undertaking live demonstrations of 3-D landscape modelling. He also won the audience’s admiration for a truly inspiring presentation – is there any more entertaining as well as informative speaker on cartography out there? My own talk centred around aspects of data visualisation and the effective presentation of statistics.

Since the day was designed to be a workshop as well as a series of presentations, the audience was set a task to find a solution to a knotty problem. We gave them a summary of the data shown on Charles Minard’s famous 1869 map of Napoleon’s ill-fated attack on Moscow and the subsequent retreat in 1812, but without giving them any context and without showing them Minard’s diagram beforehand. The challenge was to map the four variables shown on his diagram (place, time, number of soldiers, and temperature) using a piece of graph paper, and it proved to be a hard challenge. However, we were blessed with an enthusiastic and very able audience who were willing to participate and happy to share thoughts and ideas. As a result, the task was tackled intelligently and was a real success. It led into a discussion about the best ways of presenting map data, and the success that can be achieved by taking an unconventional approach. The same enthusiasm was evident for a table-by-table critique of a

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

number of maps brought along for analysis, and the audience’s comments were welcomed. The format for the day was more participatory than previous seminars and, as ever, the emphasis was on imparting information, by way of example, through the use of good visuals. This seminar was also supported by extensive additional material, with information about useful websites and other sources of information being made available through the BCS’s website. Feedback has been very positive. It was apparent that the delegates’ attention was maintained the whole day, no mean feat for an intensive day so full of informaton. As with the first Better Mapping, the day was run in conjunction with the AGI; it was a real pleasure to have Chris Holcroft and Claire Huppertz supporting the speakers and making the whole day run smoothly. I guess that one presentation doesn’t quite make for a roadshow, but given the success of the day, let’s hope that we can run the event again soon.

Maplines / Winter 2010 • 7

Political Geography

What makes Asia he Summer 2010 Maplines contained a thought-provoking article, ‘Views of the World,’ by Peter Vujakovic. His research showed that military conflict and war were major reasons for maps in the media. Evidently, few things elicit interest in geography and cartography more than war. The maps in the article were cartograms, in which regions were sized according to news map coverage in 1999 and 2009.

Where is Afghanistan? Conflict maps on Afghanistan are constantly in the news here in Washington, D.C., so I was interested in seeing how Afghanistan would affect UK news maps. However, while Afghanistan was mentioned in the text, it was unclear whether Afghanistan was in the Middle East or South Asia region. The map of Asia also included the regions of Heartland, East Asia, Off-shore Asia, and South-east Asia.

time, at the height of the British Empire, Asia was divided into just two regions: Near East and Far East. The Near East region was composed of the lands of the Ottoman Empire, including the Balkans. The Far East consisted of the lands east of British India. Later, the term ‘Middle East,’ attributed to Alfred Thayer Mahan in 1902, was invented, and it focused on the Persian Gulf region. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century caused the Near East to retreat out of Europe, following the defeated Ottoman army eastward, and induced the Middle East to spread westward. The Balkan lands of the Ottoman Empire achieved independence as European states, and British forces moved westward out of the Persian Gulf to take over Asian lands of the Ottoman Empire. By the mid-20th century, the Middle East

Out With the Old… While there is a need to group countries into regions, for ease of reference, it should be understood that Near East, Middle East, and Far East are Eurocentric terms, which were conceived to measure whether a place was near or far from Europe. Further, there is an obligation to consider the regions that Asian countries use today. To do this, I surveyed official country websites, as well as the websites of international organisations. Few sites used the terms Middle East, Far East, Heartland, or Off-shore Asia; however, many used Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Asia. The term Far East faded from use after World War II to be replaced by East Asia and Southeast Asia. The

A quick email to Peter brought the response that Afghanistan had been allocated to the Middle East in his regional classification, adapted from geopolitical regions described by Saul B. Cohen in the 1970s and revised in 1991. Peter noted that on closer reading Cohen had regarded Afghanistan as part of South Asia. Well, that seemed like a challenge to me. I decided to do a bit of research on which region Afghanistan belongs to and what regions are used for Asia. Regional classification is not an easy thing – Afghanistan could be placed in Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East, based on various reference sources, which is rather confusing. Further research pointed to a wide variety of Asian regions, which contributed to Afghanistan’s difficulty in finding a region that it could call home. Colonial Regions of Asia The status of Asia’s regions today is based, in part, on 19th century European perceptions. Once upon a 8 • Winter 2010 / Maplines

Figure 1 had replaced Near East, as a popular media term. Definitions of its extent varied, but the Middle East was widely understood to include an extensive area of Asia and northern Africa, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to Pakistan – including East Pakistan until it gained independence in 1971 as Bangladesh.

term ‘Off-shore Asia’ can include Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines, but this is an archaic and awkward term. Today, Japan and Taiwan are placed in East Asia; Indonesia and the Philippines are part of Southeast Asia. The Heartland, based on a geopolitical region described by Halford Mackinder

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Political Geography

in 1902, can be regarded as a relic belonging to the empire building and Cold War eras. During the Cold War, the Heartland consisted of the Asian part of the Soviet Union, including the landlocked Central Asian republics that gained independence in 1991: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan was considered part of the Heartland, especially during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. Today, these six countries are considered part of a region known as Central Asia. The Middle East remains a popular term in the West, but it is an ambiguous region, with some sources stating that it stretches as far east as Pakistan and as far west as Morocco. The countries of West Asia, some gaining independence only in the 1970s, have largely discarded the unwieldy ‘Middle East’ term in favour of a relatively new and compact regional name: West Asia. …In With the New West Asia is a term increasingly used by Asian countries, notably India, and by international organisations, such as the UN, FIFA, and IUCN. The UN sometimes uses ‘Middle East and West Asia,’ possibly as a transitional term. West Asia is a less extensive region than the Middle East and does not embrace countries in North Africa; it generally includes the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, and Turkey (Figure 1). As you can see on the map of Asia (Figure 2), West Asia joins Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia as non-Eurocentric regional names. A few maps also use North Asia, but most see no point in classifying only a part of Russia as a World region. It should be noted that West Asia is a more popular term than Southwest Asia because the region is west – not southwest – of South Asia. Finally, the use of Southwest Asia would beg the question: Where is West Asia?

Figure 2 A New World Order for Regions? This short research project started as a search for finding where Afghanistan belongs in the regional outline of Asia. Central Asia appears to be the best answer based on physical and cultural geography. Afghanistan’s landlocked landscape and cultural mosaic of peoples (Hazara, Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek) seem oriented to Central Asia. Defining regions for Asia was an interesting exercise. West Asia is the newest region, but this place-name is steadily replacing Middle East throughout Asia and the World. Perhaps this newer name will change world views. ‘Peace in the Middle East’ is a tired and jaded phrase in Western media, so maybe it is time to give ‘Peace in West Asia’ a chance. To varying extents, regions depend on popular perceptions that are often in conflict and change over time, but the role of the cartographer is to visualise these regions by mapping them. Regions are not static – but rather quite dynamic. Afghanistan may be placed in Central Asia today; however,

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

it could become part of South Asia or West Asia due to future economic or political integration. I appreciate Peter Vujakovic’s correspondence on this issue, and I look forward to any comments. David B. Miller, FBCart.S Northern Virginia Community College dmillerva@gmail.com

Advertising in Maplines From January 2011, Maplines will be accepting advertising. The first adverts will appear in the Spring edition due to appear in April. Consider this a shop window to promote your company, event, course or publication to the mapping community. For more details contact Maplines Editors: Lynda Bailey or Martin Lubikowski (contact details see page 2) Maplines / Winter 2010 • 9

Omnium Gatherum a miscellaneous collection of people or things

Notes from the Carto-Guru Map projections In transferring the shape of land or oceans from the 3-D globe onto a flat sheet of paper or a computer screen, a mathematical approach is needed to ensure that each point on the globe appears at the right point on the paper. The systematic process for doing this is known as map projection. Projecting the real shape of the World onto a plane inevitably introduces distortions. The aspects of a map that change are area, distance and angle, and any single projection can only keep one of those aspects correct. For example, a map that keeps angles correct (known as conformal) will distort distances and areas. Some ‘hybrid’ projections combine different projections in different parts of the World, usually to give a better shape to the resulting map.

just one half of the globe at a time). If the map’s to be used for navigation or by engineers, then you should use a projection which keeps angles correct (conformal) such as the well-known Mercator projection. Although perhaps the most familiar World map, Mercator’s projection is not appropriate for a World map showing distribution because it exaggerates areas even though angles are correct. An amazing array of map projections can be seen at: www.csiss.org/mapprojections/index where the properties of the map projection are shown along with an illustration.

Orthographic projection

Carto Guru

Arctic projection There are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ projections to use – only bad choices for particular purposes. You need to be concerned about choosing the right map projection if you map anything larger than a small country on a medium-sized sheet of paper, and certainly you need to use the right projection for any World map. For maps of small areas, the projection chosen becomes less important because the distortions reduce as the area of the World shown gets smaller. Many World maps show distributions (such as population) and it’s best to use an equal area (sometimes called equivalent) projection for such maps. Examples include Cylindrical equal area, Mollweide’s, Sinusoidal, and Hammer-Aitoff. Some hybrid projections (such as Robinson’s) are not strictly equal area but keep the world’s shape looking familiar. The orthographic projection is neither conformal nor equal area, but appears just as if you are looking at a globe (and of course you can see 10 • Winter 2010 / Maplines

Calling all Dip Geogs: Where are you now?

Robinson projection

The University of Bedfordshire is running a campaign to contact anyone who studied at any of its constituent colleges before 1993. To this end it is hoping to hold a Dip Geog reunion in September 2011. At that event they are also proposing that any student that received a higher education award will be awarded a Foundation degree.

Europe projection

So, if you, or someone you know, went to one of the colleges before 1993 register free at www.beds.ac.uk/alumni/lost and let them know where you are and what you are doing now. A scan of your certificate will also be needed. Our new President receiving the chain of office at the AGM

See you at the reunion!

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

The Lost Rivers of London #8

David Irvine – Travelling Cartographer David is now in Indonesia. Visit his blog below and read of his travels in SE Asia so far. The last entry has him climbing Mount Bromo on the island of Java. He has uploaded a selection of photos of his ascent up Mount Bromo. Seeing these images and reading the news of the recent eruption of Mount Merapi, also in Java, one gets a feel for the enormous power of Nature. Follow David’s travels in every issue of Maplines or on his blog on: http://davetreks.blogspot.com Britain from the Air Until the end of February 2011 visitors to Bath can experience a stunning outdoor exhibition called Britain from the Air. Set among the beauties of Regency architecture, in the world of Jane Austen, you will find a gallery of very impressive photographs of many sites in Great Britain taken from the air.

Neckinger: rising in Southwark, the Neckinger joins the Thames via St Saviour’s Dock, where pirates were hanged in the 17th century. The river’s name may derive from the term ‘devil’s neckcloth’ (i.e. the noose). In the 19th century, the mouth of the Neckinger was known as Jacob’s Island, a place of great poverty and squalor, described as the very capital of cholera and the Venice of drains. Charles Dickens lets one of his best-known characters, Bill Sykes (from Oliver Twist), meet a violent death in the mud of the Dock.

Additionally, behind the Roman baths and adjacent to Bath’s beautiful Abbey is a giant map of Great Britain showing the locations of all the images in the exhibition. This is truly interactive cartography! You can find out more about this fascinating exhibition on www.britainfromtheair.com, but the best thing is to visit it yourself.

Visit this fascinating website, http://lazarus.elte.hu/ccc/ccc.htm which hosts many map illustrations produced by children worldwide. It clearly shows how children feel about the various threats to our earthly home and how these perceived threats fire young people’s imagination. The Barbara Petchenik Award was created by the International Cartographic Association in 1993 as a memorial for Barbara Petchenik, a past Vice president of the ICA and cartographer who worked through her life with maps related to children. The aim of the competition is to promote the creative representation of the World in graphic form by children, to enhance

their cartographic awareness and to make them more conscious of their environment. The competitions, which are given every two years during the ICA International Cartographic Conference, include preferably at least one for each continent and only one competition by country, with special consideration to the age of the child producing the drawing. The awarded drawings can be submitted to international organisations, such as UNICEF, for consideration as greeting cards or other publications.

www.lazarus.elte.hu/ccc/ccc

Barbara Petchenik Competition the ICA Commission on Cartography and Children

The competition is a worthy cause that needs all our support.

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Martin Lubikowski

Maplines / Winter 2010 • 11

Page 12 Corporate News People • Companies • Products 2010 ESRI User Conference

Several of our members attended the Frankfurt Book Fair at the beginning of October. The Frankfurt Messe has ten Halls some with four floors, there are about 6000 stands and there were about 50,000 visitors a day. The mapping fraternity tends to gather in the Travel and Tourism section in Hall 3.1 where the IMTA has a stand for its members. The emphasis at Frankfurt is business but, it almost goes without saying, that maps, globes, atlases and travel guides which demonstrate good cartography are always more likely to attract more business. There were two surprising events. First, the launch of the EARTH Platinum atlas by Millennium House which when finished will be the largest book, atlas, in the world. Second, the ‘discovery’ of the Polish Map of Scotland, www.makers.org.uk/place/Maczek, which is in the grounds of Barony Castle just south of Edinburgh. Might this be the venue for a future BCS Symposium or, indeed, should BCS be involved in the restoration project which is underway? If you do have any questions or have ideas about how the BCS might be able to provide you with better facilities please do not hesitate to contact me. Peter Jolly Corporate Liaison Officer pjolly@esriuk.com

12 • Winter 2010 / Maplines

The 2010 ESRI User Conference was held in the San Diego Convention Centre on 12-16 July, attended by some 14,000 users, over a 1000 ESRI staff from all over the World and approximately 300 Business Partners. At the start of the Plenary session on the Monday morning, Jack Dangermond, ESRI President, shared his vision for GIS and explained how it fits in with the trends of today. Jack also encouraged the delegates to make the most of the week by taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss GIS issues and share experiences with other delegates from across the globe. Also during this first day, ESRI experts described and demonstrated recent developments and outlined future plans for the software. In the afternoon, Carlos Salman Gonzalez presented, ‘The Cartographic Production Process in Mexico: 40 years in the Making and Richard Saul Wurman spoke about, ‘Understanding a Globe of Urban Super Cities’. One of the key issues here being how to define a city boundary in such a way that it can be used globally for comparison purposes. At the opening of the Map Gallery and the reception, there were about 800 maps on display and a number of kiosks around what is called, the sail area, where you could also view the electronic entries in the map competition. From Tuesday until the closing ceremony there were some 40 tracks running which included user presentations and technical workshops. Concurrently, there was an exhibition in which the business partners could demonstrate and display their products and ESRI had its showcase. Prizes for the winning entries were presented at the closing ceremony on Friday. Ken Field and his partner Linda Beale did really well. At the closing plenary Ken won five awards – Most Unique and Best in Show for his football map, entitled,

‘The Beautiful Game’, first place in the multimedia map category, for a Twitter mapping app Ken did with a colleague, James O'Brien and also first place in the web map category, for a Flex application using the new time aware functionality programmed by Linda. Ken also received a runners-up award in the Best Cartographic Design (small format) category for a map authored by one of his students. Peter Jolly ESRI Inc

The Editors of Maplines would appreciate more articles from the Corporate Members about interesting and unusual projects in which they have been involved. This is another opportunity for us all to advertise the work we are doing at no cost other than the time spent writing the article.

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Global Mapping Opens New Mapshop Bucking the trend of closing shops, Global Mapping have opened a map shop in their home town of Brackley, Northamptonshire. The shop is a natural extension of their successful online map store 'MapStop' and could well be the first map shop to open in Britain for 100 years! The shop is located in a new development in the heart of Brackley, The Courtyard Mews, situated in a prime location in the Market Square. An old supermarket has been converted into 6 retail units (and a soon to open wine bar) and has been built in Victorian style from recycled materials and includes its own cobbled street! The shop offers a selection of map products including globes and wall maps and has Global Mapping's main office less than a mile away to deal with bespoke enquiries.

UK GEOForum 2010 The UK GEOForum members met at the AGI, Bishopsgate, London on Wednesday 22 September 2010. There were representatives from the: AGI, BCS, CCS, GA, ICES, IMTA, RIN, RSPSoc, SoC, and TSA. Apologies were received from BARSC, ICA, RGS, RICS, THS(UK) and UKCC. The Chairman asked all present to introduce themselves and report on an issue that was particularly important at the time. The AGI was concerned about the possible effects of the forthcoming spending review on the finances of its public sector members. The CCS has been asked to comment on the suggestion that OS should have a ‘time-line’ in the atrium of their new building. The RIN reported an increase in the number of smaller enterprises joining the RIN whilst some of the larger organisations appeared to be struggling. The SoC was concerned about maintaining its membership. ICES was concerned about the aging profile of its

New Products from Global Mapping Brackley based Global Mapping have recently released a number of new products expanding their range of innovative map products. Planisphere and Chart of the Heavens These two products offer an excellent introduction into Stargazing whatever your age! The Planisphere has been carefully designed to improve on some of the failings with established Planisphere's to the extent where it has been described as 'The Best of dozen's I've used' The Chart of the Heavens is totally unique and referred to as 'Genius'. Simple to use, unlike the Planisphere which is restricted to Northern Latitudes, the Chart of the Heavens can be used anywhere in the World. Both products come with clear instructions plus helpful advice on how to locate planets etc. Paper Globe Designed by one of the World's leading paper sculptors, (he's currently working on a hat for Lady membership. TSA was concerned that some members were reducing their bid fees to very low levels. The GA said that a number of quangos had been scrapped which had had a direct effect on the funding of some of their projects. RSPSoC pointed out that they now had a new membership level between student and full membership. BCS Corporate membership had doubled and they had held a very successful schools exercise based on the Haiti earthquake which would be used again at their next Symposium in June 2011. The next IMTA event would be in Novara in February 2011.

GaGa and made a paper chair for Ros Brawn) the globe fits together purely with tabs and slots, no scissors or glue is required. An excellent educational product for children, the pack comes with a World Time Zone map, Flags of the World and a short history and explanation of globes as well as instructions of course! World Tablecloth Take Global Mapping's colourful World Map, surround it with flags and small bits of information and make it into a tablecloth! Not quite as simple as it sounds but the end result is a brilliant idea to get the family talking around the kitchen table! There is also a second tablecloth featuring the Kings and Queens since 1465! Available as a traditional oilcloth or slightly smaller version printed on Polyart, both versions are wipe clean and offer the opportunity for both adults and children to learn in a fun way. Alan Smith Global Mapping As many will be aware the UK GEOForum website has been hacked into on several occasions and the original host of the website has moved to the USA. Samantha Lavender, RSPSoC, offered to design and host a new website, an offer that was gratefully accepted by all. Alan Wilks, AGI said he would like to handover the Chair of the UK GEOForum in January and Eric Zeeven, ICES, volunteered to take on the task. The next meeting of the GEOForum will take place on the afternoon of 27 January prior to the Annual Lecture. Peter Jolly

The 2011 Annual UK GEOForum Lecture will take place in London, hopefully at the RICS, on Thursday 27 January. The speaker will be David Lambert, Professor of Geography Education at IOE and Chief Executive of the GA. The title of his talk will be: ‘How can Geography contribute to Education for Survival?’

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Maplines / Winter 2010 • 13

AGM/EGM

A library of treasures BCS Collections Evening at the Royal Geographical Society, 25 November 2010 After the AGM, a number of members stayed for a reception and to see some iconic highlights from the collections of the RGS.

of artefacts held by the RGS-IBG. But what a sample! A snap-shot of man’s – and woman’s – successes and failures in the field of exploration. Alasdair Macleod, Head of Enterprise and Resources at RGS-IBG, gave a fascinating commentary as he described the history behind each item.

We can all recall the contemporary image of Stanley meeting Livingstone in November 1871 and the famous words, ‘Doctor Livingstone I presume?’. Well there in front of us was Henry Stanley’s helmet and boots and David Livingstone’s cap, sextant and his beautiful watercolour of Victoria Falls. Further along the table were Mary Kingsley’s moleskin cap and a map drawn by T. E. Lawrence on sheets of hotel writing paper. We saw Ernest Shackleton’s balaclava helmet, the Harrods shopping list from Captain Robert Scott’s ill-fated 1924 expedition and a lens from a sextant left at the South Pole by Amundsen and later found by a devastated Scott. Another poignant reminder of the dangers of exploration was George Mallory’s right boot, found with his body in 1999, having laid on the slopes of Everest for 75 years. We are indebted to Alasdair and the RGS-IBG for allowing us this fascinating and moving opportunity to view these wonderful objects.

Described as a visit to see iconic highlights from the collection, this was an opportunity to see a small sample taken from the hundreds of thousands

But what did we see? Unfortunately space only allows for a mention of a few of the items on view.

Report for 2010 EGM and 47th AGM held at the Royal Geographical Society with IBG on 25th November 2010

outstanding service to the Society over many years.

Mrs Ann Sutherland (2) Mr David Watt (2)

A significant element of the event was naturally taken by the Annual Elections and I can confirm the following Council to lead the Society until November 2011 as:

Due to the resignation of Mr Mick Ashworth from Council and the withdrawal of Mr Cliff Nicklin from the competition for the posts of President and Vice President all six nominations for Council were deemed successful. In order to maintain the symmetry in future Council elections, two new members accepted a term of one year and the remainder accepted a term of two years.

An EGM was held immediately prior to the AGM to consider an amendment to By-Law 6 (Fellows) to include a requirement for 2 years continuous membership as an additional condition for Fellowship application. This was unanimously accepted. The AGM was attended by 27 members who received and approved the Annual Report of the Trustees of the Society and the accounts. In addition to the annual reporting it was with great pleasure that the gathering confirmed the election of Ken Atherton as an Honorary Fellow in recognition of his 14 • Winter 2010 / Maplines

Officers of Council President Mr Peter Jolly Vice-President Mr Ken Atherton* Hon. Secretary Dr Tim Rideout Hon. Treasurer Mr Jim Nicol Sitting Council Members (years to serve in brackets) Mr Richard Carpenter (1) Miss Fiona Cocks (1) Dr David Forrest (1) Mr John Pepper (1) Mr Martin Lubikowski (2) Mr Rob Sharpe (2)

Ken Atherton Vice President

* At the following day’s meeting Mr Ken Atherton accepted Council’s invitation to take the role of acting Vice President for the next year. Bob Lilley Immediate Past President Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

BCS

GIS Special Interest Group Fifty eight members of the Society attended the GIS SIG at the RGS prior to the AGM. Peter Jolly (ESRI), Steve Frost (DGC) and Aileen Buckley (ESRI) presented three contrasting but complimentary presentations on cartographic symbology and GIS. Peter kicked off the session with a presentation on the history of cartographic symbology. Aided in the collation of his presentation by Nick Millea of the Bodleian Library, Peter showed examples of cartographic innovation over a 5000 year period. Many of the maps shown have

obviously influenced modern maps with many of the ancient symbols shown still being relevant today. Steve Frost then took to the stage to discuss how DGC are using GIS to produce military mapping. Challenges discussed included Red/Green light readable maps, standardised symbology across the defence and blue light sectors and the differences that need to be considered when producing maps for print or screen. Finally Aileen Buckley used ArcGIS to bring some

of the techniques discussed by the previous two speakers to life in a GIS environment. All of the techniques discussed by Aileen, such as how to produce Swiss hillshades, are detailed on the ESRI Mapping Centre: mappingcentre.esri.com. Thank you to the three presenters and all of the attendees for making the workshop a great success. Rob Sharpe Convenor

Calling all map publishers... ...please send us your publications! In recent years, a growing proportion of maps and atlases, published or distributed in the United Kingdom, have not been received by the Legal Deposit Libraries. This may be due to uncertainty over the legislation, over what constitutes a publication, or to whom publications should be sent (following the move of the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries last year). We are very keen to try to address this problem. The principle of legal deposit has been well established for nearly four centuries with advantages for cartographers and publishers. Publications deposited with the legal deposit libraries: l become part of the national heritage l become an archive of publishersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; output l are catalogued and preserved for the benefit of future generations l act as a shop-window for publishers, encouraging people to buy items What is included? All published items come within the scope of legal deposit. A work is said to be published when copies of it are issued to the public. The place

of publication or printing, the nature of the imprint, and the price or the size of distribution are immaterial. It is therefore the act of issuing or distributing to the public in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland which renders a work liable to deposit. Items originally published elsewhere but distributed in the United Kingdom and in Ireland are also liable for deposit. Publishers' legal obligation Publishers are obliged to send one copy of each of their publications to the British Library, free of charge, within one month of the date of publication. The other five libraries have the right to request the deposit of publications, free of charge, within a year of the date of publication. In practice many publishers deposit their publications with all six libraries without waiting for a claim to be made, which is greatly appreciated. The Legal Deposit Libraries are very keen to protect publishers' copyright, and are strict over controlling any requests for copies in line with copyright legislation. UK and Irish legislation The Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 (UK) and the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 (Ireland) make it obligatory for publishers and distributors in the United

Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Kingdom and Ireland to deposit their publications. These acts cover printed and electronic publications, though legislation is not yet in place for the latter. In the meantime, a code of practice exists in the United Kingdom for the voluntary deposit of electronic publications, and also for microform and other non-printed publications. In Ireland, the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 proposes to extend legal deposit to electronic formats. Where should publications be sent? Publications destined for the British Library (with the exception of newspapers and pure electronic content) should be sent to: The Legal Deposit Office The British Library Boston Spa, Wetherby West Yorkshire LS23 7BY Tel: +44 (0)1937 546268 legal-deposit-books@bl.uk Enquiries about the deposit of pure electronic content should be sent to: Digital Acquisitions Co-ordinator The British Library Boston Spa, Wetherby West Yorkshire, LS23 7BQ www.bl.uk Tel: +44 (0)1937 546535 LDO-Electronic@bl.uk (Continued on page 18...) Maplines / Winter 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ 15

ICC

An enlightened view... ...of cartography and GIS. 25th International Cartographic Conference, Paris, 3-8 July 2011

largely based on the range of activities covered by the ICA Commissions, and include special sessions devoted to the noted French graphic theorist Jaques Bertin. There will also be poster sessions, a technical exhibition and a major international exhibition of maps.

Preparations are well underway for the next International Cartographic Association conference and General Assembly to be held in Paris next summer. It promises to be a milestone event as the fiftieth anniversary of the first ICA conference is celebrated. It will bring together cartographers and GI scientists from the commercial sector, government agencies and academia to learn about and discuss the latest issues in the world of cartography. A full social programme is planned to allow for less formal networking.

Immediately prior to the conference many ICA Commissions will run special workshops and tutorials. The call for papers is now closed for the main conference, but many Commission workshops have a later closing date. A full refereeing process is currently underway to ensure the highest quality of content. Registration is now open and the deadline for early registration is 28th February 2011.

The scientific programme starts on Monday 4th July, with approximately 500 scientific papers being presented over five days. These are organised into themes,

International Map Exhibition A key element of the ICC conferences is a major international map exhibition. Any map published in the last two years is eligible for entry. UK entries will be judged by the UK Cartography Committee in order to best represent the range and quality of UK cartography. Details of the entry form for 2011 exhibition are still awaited at the time of writing, but information, but entry forms will be available on the BCS website early in 2011. For more information contact David Forrest at david.forrest@glasgow.ac.uk

ICA Commission on Use & User Issues User Issues in Geospatial Public Transport Information Pre-conference workshop, ICC 2011, Paris See Page 19

For more information see: www.ICC2011.fr

LOWER EARLY BIRD PRICING FOR 2011: CONTACT US TODAY Technology Innovation Day: January 24th, 2011

TRULY INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER FACULTY REPRESENTING 40 COUNTRIES INCLUDING:

DEFENCE GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE

Main Conference: January 25th-26th, 2011 Human Terrain Analysis Focus Day: January 27th, 2011 Venue: The QEII Centre, London, UK

Brig Jim Hockenhull, D ISTAR, UK MOD Brig. Gen. Schmidt-Bleker, Director, Bundeswehr Geoinformation Office (BGIO), Germany

WWW.DEFENCEGEOSPATIAL.COM

GUEST KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Air Marshal Sir Stuart William Peach, Chief of Joint Operations, UK MOD

Vanessa Lawrence, CB Director General and Chief Executive, Ordnance Survey

THE MOST INTERNATIONAL ATTENDANCE EVER SEEN: Confirmed Delegations Attending Include: UK MoD US DoD NATO C3 Agency Australian DoD BGIO, Germany US Army DGA, MoD, France Norwegian MoD Italian Defence General Staff AGCHO, Afghanistan

Principal Sponsor

KEY THEMES FOR DGI 2011: GIS Strategy - Over 68 in-depth case studies prepared to give you the new ideas, strategies and technical support for your geo capability GIS Support In-Theatre 8 Hours of Case Studies

Canadian MoD Trust Mediation Geospatial Organisation, Denmark Swedish Armed Forces Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) NATO Deployment Corps, Greece New Zealand MoD

Michael W. Powers, Technical Director, Geospatial Research and Engineering US ARMY Lt. Col. Sabato Rainone, Chief, Geospatial Section Information and Security Division – Policy Branch, Italian Defence General Staff

Geospatial Architecture -

National Defence, Canada Finnish Defence Forces US Coast Guard, US Defense Israeli Intelligence Service (ISIS) British Transport Police NATO HQ European Union Force UNOSAT Council Of The European Union EU Satellite Centre

Gp Capt Steve Thornber, Officer Commanding, The National Imagery Exploitation Centre (JARIC), UK MOD

8 Hours of Case Studies

Geospatial Intelligence in C4ISR - 6 Hours of Case Studies Human Terrain Analysis - The new focus in GIS Partnering / Networking & Solutions Demo’s - Over 25 hours of networking & technology demonstrations in DGI exhibition area

Frank Colley, Assistant Secretary Defence GEOINT, Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation (DIGO), Australian DoD

Laure Dassonville, Head of Geospatial Department, DGA, MOD, France