Maplines Winter 2012/2013 by The British Cartographic Society

Meet our new President p. 3

Designing Children's Atlases p. 4-5

50 Years of the BCS See pages 12 & 14

Call for Papers p. 14

Winter 2012 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ÂŁ3.00

From the Editors

Happy New Year one and all!

s one glorious year ends so another one begins. After the many highs of 2012, 2013 is set to be a landmark year for the Society and another golden celebration for us to get stuck into. Here at Maplines, we shall be bringing you all the latest news and events throughout the year to do with our collective 50th birthday, so please feel free to contribute or comment in any way you see fit. It would be great to hear from members young and old about their experiences and memories of the BCS so why not drop us a line at the usual address. If this issue is our hors d’oeuvre for 2013 then it is not a bad way to begin. We have some fascinating articles for you to tuck into. I think you will enjoy Alex Kent and Peter Vujakovic’s insight in to designing maps and atlases for children on pages 4 and 5, as well as David Cooper’s piece on unearthing quarry plans on pages 7 and 8. And for those of you not lucky enough to get a copy of Simon Garfield’s On the Map in your Christmas stocking, then we whet your appetite with a great review on page 10. Edtorial Contact details: Senior Editor: Lynda Bailey Editors: Adam King, Jeremy Smith Editors, Design & Production: Mark Sansom, Martin Lubikowski, Gary Haley maplines.editors@gmail.com The Magazine of the British Cartographic Society

Volume 18, 3rd Issue, Winter 2012 Registered Charity No. 240034

2 • Winter 2012 / Maplines

Illustrations and photography in this issue Front cover Lynda Bailey p. 7 no 2 Steve Chilton p. 10 Courtesy of Profile Books Ltd p. 11 Courtesy of Steer Davis Gleave

All other photography copyright: Lynda Bailey, Martin Lubikowski, Mark Sansom, Adam King or the BCS.

As I sit and type and wait for the inevitable Scottish snow to disrupt my plans for January and February, I find my attention drawn to the calendar of excellent events the Society has planned to mark the forthcoming celebrations. If truth be told, I have my eyes on the warmer months – certainly Dublin in June sounds tempting...! But whatever your plans may be, I hope you enjoy yourselves and share your experiences with us here at Maplines. I look forward to hearing from you all. Adam On behalf of Lynda, Adam, Mark, Gary and Jeremy. Maplines Editors

Calling all Corporate Members Share your projects and successes with Maplines readers. Send your copy for the Corporate page to: maplines.editors@gmail.com

Deadline for copy for the Spring 2013 edition is 15th February 2013.

The views expressed 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. © The British Cartographic Society 2012

Advertising in Maplines

Consider this a shop window to promote your company, event, course or publication to the mapping community. For more details contact the Editors:

maplines.editors@gmail.com

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

Notes from our President

hile it didn’t quite have all the razzmatazz of the other presidential election in November, Peter Jolly handed over the BCS Presidency to me at the AGM at the RAF Club. There were no swing states, no last minute dashes around the country to drum up votes or even problems with ‘hanging chads’, for those who remember previous US elections.

All the details of the events for our anniversary year will be on the BCS website. It also features here in the Omnium Gatherum, p. 12-13, so please check regularly to keep up to date with what is happening. It’s going to be a very busy year and we hope that you will support the Society by attending as many of the events as you can. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during the year.

Outreach activities do need the support of the Society and I would encourage you to get involved. Whether it’s manning a BCS stand at an exhibition, joining the Restless Earth team or contributing your

Pete Jones BCS President

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

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Cartography is as important now as it always has been; indeed it can be argued that it has assumed an even greater importance. The Internet has opened up the opportunities for anyone to make a map, quickly and simply, but does it always get the message across in the best way? Many cartographic principles are intuitive and it is possible to create a good map with no formal cartographic training, but you will only create a great map if you fully understand the key principles. Sadly cartographic education has suffered a bit of a decline; if you go onto the UCAS Course Search website and

expertise to the Better Mapping seminars, we would love to get more people involved to spread the load and spread the word.

input ‘Cartography’ as your search term, you only get one hit. This proves that the BCS’s role in education is even more important. The Restless Earth programme has been very successful in increasing awareness amongst Year 10 pupils; we now need to see what more we can do. I will be talking to the Head of Research and Higher Education at the RGS to see how we can work with them to increase our collaborative activities.

The next year is going to be particularly exciting for the Society as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary. A lot has changed in cartography in the last 50 years and as well as reflecting on developments since 1963 we will be looking to the future to identify where cartography is going.

Maplines / Winter 2012 • 3

Maps for Growing Minds: designing atlases for children

OS and UKHO staff). The aim was to explore, identify, and share good practice within this all-too-often neglected area of map design.

Maps and atlases designed to be used at home or in the classroom are important cartographic resources, through which many children start their exploration of the world around them. They often provide an ‘education gateway’ to a range of issues, both environmental (e.g. deforestation) and social (e.g. population change). Good design is especially important, first to ensure that biased and stereotyped images of the World are not fostered, and secondly to ensure that simplistic or erroneous geographical concepts are not created (e.g. through inappropriate world map projections).

Our initial discussion highlighted the common assumption that geographical information just needs to be presented more colourfully (to grasp and retain attention) and more simply (to facilitate understanding) in order to create a successful cartographic design for children. As opposed to general reference atlases, children’s atlases present publishers with a special challenge: educating and informing a certain user-group (often a particular age range) about the world around them and to encourage their further learning. As such, these atlases have to tell a story – their maps and the issues they raise are all underpinned by a narrative – which is itself informed by certain ethical values, such as sustainability.

hat do we assume when designing maps and atlases for children? How should these products be different? How can we better meet the needs of this important user group?

The BCS Design Group held a workshop at the BCS Symposium in June, which focused on issues associated with the design of maps and atlases for children. Maps for Growing Minds attracted enthusiastic delegates of different ages, backgrounds, and levels of professional experience from the breadth of the cartographic industry (e.g. freelancers, project managers, 4 • Winter 2012 / Maplines

Publishers usually consult the relevant learning requirements for Geography within the National Curriculum to inform decisions over content and the development of a successful design. A pre-recorded interview with Dr Stephen Scoffham, an atlas consultant and educational author based at Canterbury Christ Church University,

was incorporated into the workshop in order to understand the key requirements from an educator’s point of view. Dr Scoffham pointed out that one of the main challenges facing teachers using the National Curriculum is to interpret its requirements imaginatively – atlases are therefore seen as ways to engage and excite children about the World they live in but also to improve their placeknowledge and locational framework. Perhaps surprisingly, the particular benefits of printed atlases over their online cousins were also mentioned – specifically the presentation of knowledge about places is much more contextualised in the former and fragmented in the latter. We are rarely presented with additional information about a place or region through an online atlas, yet ‘callouts’, i.e. photographs, drawings, and other components, can provide immediate context on the page. Some practical advice was also offered to map designers: ● Use layout effectively to introduce a ‘dialogue’ between pages, e.g. physical and political maps of the same geographical area on facing pages, to encourage children to draw comparisons

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

Design Group Key Stage 2: Knowledge and Understanding of Places (Department for Education, 2011) 3. Pupils should be taught: a) to identify and describe what places are like (for example in terms of weather, jobs). b) the location of places and environments they study and other significant places and environments (for example, places and environments in the news). c) to describe where places are (for example, in which region/country the places are, whether they are near rivers or hills, and what the nearest towns or cities are). d) to explain why places are like they are (for example, in terms of weather conditions, local resources, historical development). e) to identify how and why places change (for example through the closure of shops or building of new houses, though conservation projects) and how they may change in the future (for example, through an increase in traffic or an influx of tourists). f) to describe and explain how and why places are similar to and different from other places in the same country and elsewhere in the world (for example, comparing a village with part of a city in the same country). g) to recognise how places fit within a wider geographical context (for example, as part of a bigger region or country) and are interdependent (for example, through the supply of goods, movements of people). ● Present an interconnected synthesis of material, e.g. between maps, photographs, text boxes, and graphs, as this provokes creative thinking and encourages children to question the material in front of them ● Printed atlases have an advantage over electronic or online atlases in that they can provide contextual information and can construct a cohesive narrative that lends reliability and credibility to its presentation of facts ● Avoid using Mercator’s projection for World maps – there is an increasing need to focus on tropical regions for understanding a range of environmental issues yet these areas often appear diminished With these points and the criteria from the relevant section of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 2 (see box) in mind, a range of children’s atlases designed for ages 7–11 and published in the UK from 1976 to the present were compared. The aim was to see how different atlases approached the problem of designing for these users, to identify trends, and highlight the best techniques. Some of the trends we observed included a shift from the use of illustration towards photography, particularly amongst the later examples, most likely from rising costs

and easier methods of photographic reproduction. Older atlases tended to portray common stereotypes through their representation of place, such as a focus on agriculture, but they also typically included a short introduction to the way maps symbolise the World. These often included a simple series of illustrations describing the influence of scale upon abstraction, for example, and we generally felt that these sections, sadly on the decline, offered some very helpful explanations of the relationship between maps and reality. Current atlases generally adopted a range of engaging page layouts, which incorporated photographs, text panels, graphs, and so on, to tell their story in an interesting way. Photographs describing more faraway or ‘exotic’ places tended to focus on wildlife and natural features, while others illustrated environmental hazards or issues. Typical stereotypes were sometimes reinforced through images of transport and people at work, which highlighted the cultural and economic differences, as opposed to the similarities, with the likely readers of the atlas. This is supported by a recent comparative study (Ward, 2012), which found that stereotypical images, such as those emphasising rural as opposed to city life, are proliferated in modern children’s atlases. The differences between places and cultures are of course more interesting to learn (and perhaps relevant, given the curricular requirements), but the

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

presentation of difference requires care. An earlier study by Wiegand and Stiell (1996) found that while picture atlases offer a high level of interest and appeal, some topics were harder to decipher among children, as, for example, industry and agriculture, generally lie beyond their experience. One way forward for publishers and cartographers would be to consult potential users – ask the children and find out what works for them. Children’s atlases are specially designed to educate, inform, and enthuse their readers about the World around them and achieving this through cartographic design requires much more than bright colours and simplicity. The particular strength of atlases, particularly the printed variety, is their contextualisation of knowledge about places. While globalisation has brought more efficient communication, travel networks and information exchange, it has also marginalised and fragmented our understanding of places and their environmental and social problems. The challenge for publishers of children’s atlases, therefore, is to seize the opportunity by wielding the power of good cartography and inspire new generations in their struggle against the environmental and political issues they will face. Alex Kent and Peter Vujakovic Christ Church University, Canterbury Co-convenors, BCS Design Group Maplines / Winter 2012 • 5

Mapping the Loddington Ironstone Quarry Plans. Are there more?

The Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 plans of rural England with their land parcel numbers and areas for each civil parish were an important tool for showing and recording, probably for taxation. In rural Northamptonshire they also were used to show the progression of Ironstone quarrying. The Loddington Ironstone Company Ltd (LIC) was incorporated in June 1891 to work the ore deposits in the parish four miles north west of Kettering. The company, a

6 • Winter 2012 / Maplines

subsidiary of the Staveley Coal & Iron Co. Ltd was required to keep a record in map form of its workings for the government mines and quarries inspectorate. Each of the parent companies quarries had its own site office but the plans were kept at the head office in Nottingham.

Although ore production from Loddington ceased in 1963 and ownership of the company changed through nationalisation and privatisation, the plans have survived. They were displayed in their full glory at an exhibition in

Mapping the Loddington Ironstone The section of the First Edition Ordnance Survey 1/2500 plan shows the position of the working face of the pit year by year, recorded on Lady Day or in September. The worked face was stationary from 1910-13 as other pits were developed at Loddington, but working restarted as part of the 1914-18 war effort. There are some geological annotations for gravel washouts and the rectangular area in the north-west corner is the site of Ellistown, the Ironstone Company’s workers houses. The orchard area was the site of the first manager’s house. The plans were kept at the Staveley Iron Company’s head office and currently are at Tatra’s works at Corby.

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Historical Mapping Loddington to commemorate the 120th anniversary of LIC. They show the annual progression of the working face westwards. The opening and closing of pits are shown by red ink lines with a pink crayon infill between. Annotated firstly in black ink copperplate hand which progresses in red in 1916 and a smaller script from 1920, the surface-ore bed is recorded by bore hole and trial hole notes measured in feet and tenths from the surface which was carefully levelled in from Ordnance Survey bench marks; originally the Liverpool datum,

carried along hedgelines or valley sides, mostly around 420.00-430.00.

This photograph taken in 1909 shows best the geological structure with the ore bed beneath a sandy-limestone overburden, with a soil topping. It shows how thin the beds were, using the workmen as scale. The photograph is probably not distinct enough to

show the wooden plank barrow ways; the frame which supported this is best seen behind Mr Mansbridge, the manager, in typical pose.

The plans provide some detail of land restoration. whicwas done as the faces progressed. They show in blue, some limits, the parish boundary and in a blue wash where the ore thinned by erosion, ran out and work ceased. How many more such plans exist? They need to be located, noted and saved. David Cooper

Worked by pick, shovel and spade, the overburden was taken across the metre gauge

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Are there similar maps/plans for gravel workings in the Thames or Trent valleys? Open cast coal workings or indeed other ironstone quarries? If there are, David Cooper would be pleased to know of them. Please email maplines.editors@gmail.com Thanks to David Cooper for supplying illustrations for this article with the help of the British Steel Collection.

tramway to be deposited. Wagons came from the tipping dock pushed by a small steam locomotive to be loaded by hand. The overburden was either left and levelled or restored by repacking and returned to cropping.

Maplines / Winter 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ 7

BCS - broadening our profile In his last few months as BCS President, Peter Jolly, now Past President, has been particularly busy on behalf of the Society. He reports for Maplines. Paper maps or Digital maps: the BBC Radio 4 interview Arriving home from the golf club there was a message from a Radio 4 researcher. He’d tried my mobile but no respectable golfer would have is phone switched on while playing! Ten minutes later the phone rang and indeed I was being asked if I’d like to be involved in a piece relating to the problems encountered by Apple following the release of their mapping application which clearly had serious data errors. The discussion I gathered was to be about the ‘battle’ between paper and electronic maps and there would be an on-air contest to see who could work out the route faster between two places. I wasn’t too sure about the value of this rather narrow approach but at least the Society would be mentioned on Radio 4 and, providing I didn’t make a complete fool of myself, there would be some good publicity for BCS.

Lunch at the House of Lords I was delighted to represent BCS at the House of Lords luncheon in October. The speaker was The Rt Hon Sir Brian Neill QC, a former Lord Chief Justice of Appeal. His theme related to the legal history surrounding charities that were originally set up some 300 years ago to help the poor, mainly through the church, and could be regarded as being rather inward looking. However, the 2006 Charities Act changed the concept in the sense that there now has to be a public benefit for a charity in order to maintain its status; in BCS we satisfy this requirement through our Better Mapping events and our schools’ Restless Earth workshops.

Around 5pm I walked round to the BBC Radio Oxford studio with a road atlas in my bag. I was met by Kate and escorted to the interview room, where I put on the headset. I was told there’d be a communications check then ‘off you go!’ The piece was sandwiched between two items of doom and gloom so I guess ours was meant to be a bit light-hearted and indeed it was. Eddie Mair’s presumption was that it’s a contest between the paper and electronic map. I think each has merit depending on what you wish to do; they’re complementary in my view and I think I made the point. Nevertheless, a contest there would be and the challenge was the first to find the route between Chester and Uttoxeter. My opponent Rupert Goodwins, editor of ZDNet, had an electronic device. His problem seemed to be that the device wanted to tell him how to get to Chester from where he was rather than how to get from Chester from Uttoxeter. He sorted that out fairly quickly, in fact. Meanwhile I had to look up Uttoxeter in the atlas index to find out precisely where it was and, guess what, Chester and Uttoxeter were on different pages in the atlas! The contest was declared a draw - a fair and to David Cockburn from the Royal Institute for Navigation (RIN). David is the RIN’s Treasurer; I had to confess that I had resigned from the RIN earlier in the year because of the high cost of membership - we’re still friends, I think! On my other side sat Dr Kathryn Allton, British Society of Soil Science. I talked to Kathryn about our schools’ Restless Earth workshop and discovered that, perhaps unsurprisingly, some of their members are studying the spread of

reasonable result. What is most important is that the cartography should be good no matter what medium is being used to display the map; it’s absolutely fundamental that the data must be accurate. And one of the best ways to check geographical data is to produce a paper map! pollution on land in the area around the Fukushima nuclear plant. This made me think that we might be able to add another dimension to our Sendai/Fukushima - based Workshop, particularly if we are successful in developing a GIS version of the scenario. Indeed there may be scope for not only for studying land pollution but sea and air pollution too. It’s always good to talk.

The lunch is a chance to meet others who work in the charitable sector. About 65 people attended the luncheon. I found myself sitting next 8 • Winter 2012 / Maplines

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

BCS Restless Earth Team out and about in South Wales

uring September 2012 volunteers from the British Cartographic Society provided and delivered an exciting new experience for AS and GCSE Geography students at Stanwell School in Penarth, South Wales. This, the first visit of the academic year for the BCS, was the first time such an event has been held in Wales. Volunteers arrived not only from the BCS, but also from the RGS (geography ambassadors) and post graduate students from the University of Glamorgan, all offering support and advice for the pupils attending a series of workshops titled ‘Restless Earth’.

their group and asked to represent one of the response teams normally associated with such hazard events (eg. military, search and rescue, Shelter box and the British Red Cross). The aim was for each group to produce an effective response map covering the needs of each response team. To help them with the challenge pupils were given maps, some in Japanese, and iPads to allow information to be collated effectively. The pupils rose to the challenge and worked enthusiastically on the task in hand. The group that produced the best map in each workshop was presented with a certificate and

In total around 120 pupils from Stanwell and approximately sixty from Westbourne, a neighbouring school, participated in a series of workshops based on the 2012 Japan earthquake. These workshops ran over two days, with pupils working in small teams, each with the challenge of designing an effective response and recovery plan. Pupils were given roles within Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

a large world map, much to their delight. The workshop was truly inspiring for the pupils and helped them understand how maps can be a useful tool in assisting an effective recovery operation like Japan in 2012. Many thanks to all the volunteers and in particular the members from the BCS who organised the event. The children were enthused and motivated by the experience and as such the school hopes it will become an annual event. Mrs. J Laity, Geography Teacher, Stanwell School

Maplines / Winter 2012 • 9

On the Map P

acked with fascinating tales of cartographic intrigue, outsize personalities and delightful ‘Pocket Maps’ on an array of subjects from how to fold a map to the mapping of places that never existed, On the Map is a rich historical tapestry woven together with Garfield’s signature narrative flair. Join him on a richly illustrated journey through time and around the globe.

Simon Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate and realign our history – there’s the awe-inspiring, medieval Mappa Mundi, the early explorers’ maps, ancient treasure maps and of course the A–Z. Along the way Simon goes to Googleplex, gets some hardcore Ordnance Survey training, meets London’s new globe-makers and discovers how we’re living through the biggest mapping revolution since the 15th century. Find out • when California was an island • how maps have saved lives and solved crimes • where guidebooks came from • about the role of maps in 10 • Winter 2012 / Maplines

great literature • how smartphone maps and Sat Nav might be shaping our brains • whether future generations will be able to master the art of map-reading. Simon tells us, ‘The first map I remember using was a classic – the London Underground map. I used it on my journey to school, and as this only involved a single stop I often fantasised about visiting such exotic locations as Ruislip Gardens and Theydon Bois. At school in the 1970s I was briefly taught geography by cricketer Mike Brearley, a period that evidently proved such a devastating experience for him that he decided soon afterwards that winning the Ashes as England captain would be distinctly easier. Maps have been an integral part of my life ever since, and in On the Map I’ve tried to show how this has really been the case for all of us. My favourite map is the one they show on seat-backs on flights, that little on-screen airplane hopefully heading somewhere warm’.

ON THE MAP

Why the World Looks the Way it Does Profile Books Simon Garfield Published 4 October 2012 • £16.99 hardback/ebook • over 60 illustrations Introduction by Dava Sobel, author of Longitude.

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

Books ON THE MAP • FACTS •

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The first map (of sorts) was scratched on a stone by cave dwellers around 14,000 years ago. Thanks to Pythagoras, the view that the world was round (or at least round-ish) was commonly accepted by the 4th century BC. According to Strabo’s Geographica (around 7 BC), Britain is not worth conquering, wretched and inhabitable because of its climate – and Ireland is full of cannibals. On the awe-inspiring Hereford Mappa Mundi (ca. 1290) what we regard as east is at the top – a placing that has given us the word ‘Orientation’ – Europe is labelled Affrica (and Africa Europa), and the northeast of England is populated

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with names while the south west is ignored. The phrase Hic Sunt Dracones (‘Here Be Dragons’) has never appeared on a historic map – it made one of its earliest appearances in a Dorothy L. Sayers short story about a treasure hunt. Google Maps, Microsoft’s Bing and OpenStreetMap are still using Mercator’s 1569 world projection. Antarctica has long been known as the last place on Earth to be mapped and it’s only satellite technology that’s enabled its hostile terrain to be charted. Today more than 20,000 people a year visit a continent that was once thought inaccessible.

Corporate

Steer Davis Gleave named Transport Consultant of the Year at National Transport Awards 2012 Steer Davies Gleave is delighted to have been named Transport Consultant of the Year at the 12th annual National Transport Awards. The National Transport Awards, presented by the Transport Times, is a prestigious event recognising excellence throughout the UK's transport industry. This year’s event, held at the Riverbank Plaza Hotel in London, saw Steer Davies Gleave honoured in front of an audience of 600 guests from across the transport industry.

categories including: Public Transport Operator of the Year, IT Supplier of the Year, Road Safety, Traffic Management and Enforcement, Transport City of the Year and Achievements in Cycling. Transport Secretary and National Transport Awards keynote speaker, Patrick McLoughlin said: ‘Good transport is vital – not just in helping us get around but also in driving economic growth, and central to an efficient transport network are the people who work day in day out to keep this country moving.

congratulations to them.’ Fred Beltrandi, SDG Executive Director, was delighted, ‘The whole company is really thrilled to have won this award. I would also like to congratulate all of the other winners, including Cambridgeshire County Council for their Guided Busway and TfL for their London 2012 TDM programme, both of which we supported.’ A full list of winners can be found on the Transport Times website, www.transporttimesevents.co.uk

‘These awards are a great opportunity to honour those within the sector who make all the difference, and I offer my warmest

SDG’s submission detailed three of its key strengths; fostering strong and rewarding client partnerships, leading the way with innovation and adding value through the efficient use of smart technologies. Awards were also presented in Visit the BCS website at www.cartography.org.uk

Maplines / Winter 2012 • 11

Omnium Gatherum

BCS 50th Anniversary Calendar of Events for 2013

2013 is the 50th anniversary of the BCS. To mark this special year there will be a series of events throughout the year to highlight this and to promote the Society and its activities. Here are the details of our celebratory year as planned to date. Watch out for further information in future editions of Maplines and on the website. We hope that as many of you as possible will come to one or more of these events.

January 24th

UK GEOForum Lecture and Dinner to promote 50th Anniversary events

14th tbc

50 Years of Design organised by The Design Group

12th 15th-17th tbc

An Evening with Michael Palin followed by a Reception at RGS London Book Fair Launch of BCS 50th Anniversary Book

21st tbc tbc

Esri UK Conference UKCC Meeting GeoData events in Birmingham, Dublin, Sheffield or Leeds

tbc tbc 8th-9th

HMMG/DSA Annual Seminar and Study Day Better Mapping Dublin London Map Fair

tbc

Black Country Experience

25th-30th

ICC in Dresden (BCS Reception)

2nd-6th 16th-18th

MCG Workshop and Annual BCS Symposium, Hothorpe Hall Includes GIS SIG, Design Group and Corporate Members meetings AGI Annual Conference

tbc 9th-13th 25th

HMMG East Kirby Visit and Study Day Frankfurt Book Fair GIS SIG with Jack Dangermond, Esri President, RAF Club, London

tbc tbc

BCS AGM and 50th Anniversary Closing event GeoData seminars in Edinburgh and Belfast with an evening event for BCS members after the Edinburgh seminar

March April

May

June

July

August September

October

November

12 â&#x20AC;˘ Winter 2012 / Maplines

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

National Library of Scotland UPDATE Those who use or link to the National Library of Scotland's website maps.nls.uk may be interested to know of a recent revamp, not least as the home page has changed for the first time in many years, so familiar users may think they've clicked on the wrong link. One of the main aims behind this has been to provide geographic, map-based access to all online content, through an application called ‘Find by Place’ maps.nls.uk/geo/find. The related and traditional search method by browsable textual lists has been termed ‘Browse by category’ maps.nls.uk/browse.html. These two main search methods are now available on all pages, with the aim of integrating the georeferenced search and display applications with all online map content. It is also possible to search by mapmakers/ WEBSITE TO WATCH

This website is about two great maps, one of The English Lake District and the other featuring Scotland. The first in the series is called Tubular Fells, blending the iconic work of Alfred Wainwright and Harry Beck, the designer of the London Tube map. Using the same formula, MunrOverground has been created to map the Scottish Munros in the same topological way, but this time looking more like an overground rail network. This site isn't just about selling the maps, there are also pages including background information on topology, transport in Lakeland, Fix the Fells, The John Muir Trust and Scottish Mountain Rescue (who will benefit from sales) and a whole batch of free gear in 'Free from the Fells'. www.tubularfells.com

a miscellaneous collection of people and things

surveyors/engravers maps.nls.uk/mapmakers/index.html and by keyword. Navigation and usability has been improved with a consistent header and footer and breadcrumb trail on all pages.

deliberately separate from the main NLS website. The ‘Maps of Scotland’ website has also been renamed as ‘Map images’, to reflect the initial content beyond Scotland which is expected to grow in future.

For those who link to the website, the good news is that all URLs to maps have remained the same – everything at maps.nls.uk... is the same as before. However, the georeferenced search applications formerly under geo.nls.uk have been integrated under maps.nls.uk domain: the former Sheet Viewer at: geo.nls.uk/search is now ‘Find by Place’ at: maps.nls.uk/geo/find. The former Mosaic Viewer at: geo.nls.uk/search/mosaic is now ‘Explore Georeferenced Maps’ at: maps.nls.uk/geo/explore.

It is hoped that those using the site find these changes an improvement once the initial shock has worn off, but we would be grateful for feedback, especially if you can't find something that used to be there. Christopher Fleet c.fleet@nls.uk

For map enthusiasts, the good news is that the site is now completely dedicated to viewing maps,

Don’t assume, check!

Mid-week I knew I was going to be asked by my son Charlie to take his son, Sam, to play football for the Twyford Comets on Saturday morning. On the Friday afternoon Charlie forwarded an email to me which had been generated on an iPhone giving details of where to be, when. The match was against Bracknell Town FC and the address was given as Lagers Lane, Bracknell, RG12 9NA. Preferring to plan on a paper map I called up Bing maps on my laptop and typed in RG12 9NA. This gave me a position near the old RAF Staff College and there was a football pitch near there. All seemed well but where was Lagers Lane? It was nowhere to be seen. After some thought, I decided to look at the Bracknell Town FC website. The address given was Larges Lane, RG12 9AN!! There’s a mile or two between the two places. I emailed Charlie who passed on the information to the other mums and dads. All arrived in time and the match ended in a one-all draw. Maps can be really useful. Peter Jolly Past President

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

Heavy-weight cartography Japanese artist Yutaka Sone has produced the heaviest and most expensive map of Manhatten. His work ‘Little Manhatten’ which weighs 2.5 tons, has been carved out of marble. Images of this remarkably detailed work can be seen on www.spoontamago.com/2011/09/ 13/islandyutaka-sone-at-david-zwirner/ Sone’s has also created similar works of Hong Kong Island and Los Angeles.

The Lost Rivers of London #12

Wandle: the Wandle springs from two sources: one of the Waddon Ponds in Croydon and another at Carshalton Ponds. It flows through Sutton, Lambeth, Merton and finally Wandsworth, where it joins the Thames. Both Wandsworth and the Wandle get their names from Wendle, a Saxon who settled in the area. Exceptionally among London’s ‘lost’ rivers, the Wandle is not subterranean for most of its length. Springing at Thornton Heath as the Norbury Brook, the river Graveney joins the Wandle near Summerstown. Courtesy of www.strangemaps.wordpress.com

Contributions to Omnium Gatherum are always welcome. If you have any map-related stories, facts or announcements please send them to the editors on the Editors’ email address, see page 2.

Maplines / Winter 2012 • 13

UKCC Report

he current focus for the UKCC is our preparations for the 26th International Cartographic Conference in Dresden, www.icc2013.org. The organisers plan several innovations for this conference, aiming ‘to make ICC2013 a most rewarding event, giving all working in Cartography, GIScience and neighbouring domains the opportunity to meet, discuss, present, display and socialize.’ Over 850 papers have been submitted from 71 countries; the scientific committee are currently vetting these to ensure a high quality of content for the conference and associated publications. Registration for the conference is now open along with hotel booking at preferred rates. Demand for accommodation is likely to be high, so early booking is recommended. As normal, there will be an international map exhibition and the Barbara Petchenik children’s map design competition. Information about both of these is available on the BCS website and letters of invitation to contribute to the map exhibition will be sent out early in

The British Cartographic Society Annual Symposium 2013

A feature of ICC2013 will be the range of pre-conference workshops, which are run by individual the Commissions or jointly. Commission workshops generally last one or two

days, tending to be smaller and more focused than the main conference. Most are focused very much on the research community, but others are intended to pass on latest developments in research to the broader community. The full schedule of pre-conference meetings is not available yet, but the deadline for submission to these is generally much later than the main conference. Two meetings advertised already are the 16th ICA workshop on Generalisation jointly organised by the ICA Commission on Generalisation and Multiple Representation and the ICA Commission on Map Production and Geo-Business; and the Commissions on Cognitive Visualization, Geovisualization and Use & User Issues are running a workshop on ‘Eye-tracking: When, where and how?’ David Forrest, Chair, UKCC

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Programme Committee for The British Cartographic Society is inviting papers for its Symposium to be held at the Hothorpe Hotel from Wednesday 4th to Friday 5th September 2013. This year sees the 50th anniversary of the BCS and the title of the Symposium and our overall theme is Today, Tomorrow and Beyond. Potential speakers are invited to submit papers on the topics below.

• Future Mapping – what will the next generation of new products and outputs look like and how will map users access them?

• Sensory Mapping – mapping that can be experienced in a number of different ways and has been designed with consideration for those 14 • Winter 2012 / Maplines

the New Year. It is important to stress that our contribution to the map exhibition is open to anyone in the UK who makes, or publishes maps. While we already have a database of many who do this, there will always be some we are not aware of. If you have seen an interesting map, published in the last two years, then please either encourage the producer to enter it, or send information to me about it so that I can contact them. They do not have to be BCS members (although this might encourage them to join). We are also keen to receive any maps that represent good design, even if not formally published. We have a reputation to keep up: Ken Field’s BCS Design Award winning poster map of World football won an award in the 2011 map exhibition, and the UK also collected a second award for an educational atlas produced by Harper-Collins.

who may not be able to access a traditional map.

• Technology and Map Design – how has the huge change in technology over the last 50 years impacted on map design and the way we access information?

• Charting Sea, Sky and Space – recent presentations have concentrated on topographic mapping and we would be interested in papers that cover charting in its broadest aspects. • Public Service Mapping – papers on mapping within local government and major utility and emergency service organisation.

Papers should reflect the title of the Symposium, Today, Tomorrow and Beyond and have a theme which clearly links to this. We do not want to be overly proscriptive but would ask potential presenters to include in

the abstract a clear explanation of how their proposal ties in with the overall theme of the Symposium. Not all of these topics can be covered at the Symposium and we will make a final decision on which sessions will be included once we have evaluated the submissions. Please send your proposed title and an abstract of not more than 300 words to: Mr P Jolly, Chair of BCS Programme Committee 5 Bishop Kirk Place Oxford OX2 7HJ peterjolly42@btinternet.com The closing date for submissions is Monday 18th February 2013. Successful submissions will be notified by no later than Friday 10th May 2013.

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

BCS Admin BCS Administration Report Subscriptions 2013 I am afraid that it is that time of the year again when membership subscriptions are due for renewal. Following the practice of previous years all those members who pay by credit/debit card or by cheque will have received their renewal forms. Members have the choice of four methods of payment:

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Personal cheque payable to The British Cartographic Society Credit/debit card providing that the standard card and cardholder details are listed on the renewal form. Bank Standing Order (Forms are available from BCS Administration Office) On-line at www.cartography.org.uk. On the Home Page click on JOIN or RENEW NOW and on the page shown select the appropriate membership and then complete the on-line payment form.

In a bid to cut down the Society’s rising postal costs receipts will only be forwarded when requested and in most cases will be sent by email.

Summer Quiz Answers 1. How much was Harry Beck paid for his original job? B 5 guineas

2. Angel Tube Station has Western Europe’s longest escalator. How many steps? C 318

3. How many UNESCO World Heritage sites does London have? B4

New members: The Society has the pleasure of welcoming the following new members who have joined the Society since the publication of the Summer 2012 edition of Maplines. Corporate Members: Encompass Graphics Ltd, University of Manchester (Map Library) UK Members: Mr Mr Mr Mr

M V Chapple, Miss A Gioutsou, W J Hanson, Mr S H Masood, R S Perry, Mr N Thomas, S Wigman.

Overseas Members: Mr K Niescioruk, Mr J Hansson UK Associate Members: Miss A Duckett, Mr M Iliffe, Mrs M Morgan, Mr A C Sherren. And Finally As I write my report on a bright and sunny day in November I reflect to myself that members will probably be reading it on a cold and miserable day in late January after hopefully enjoying a pleasant festive season, but after the January sales and an ever depleting bank account I am about to remind them to renew their membership subscriptions. But such is my lot in my role as Administrator but I am afraid that it has to be done as I spent a great deal of time chasing late renewal payments in 2012. So please RENEW NOW if you have not yet done so.

4. How many national museums are located in London? A 22

5. Britain’s first supermarket opened in Earls Court in which year? A 1951

6. The first football match played under Football Association rules was in Battersea Park in which year? B 1864

The winner of the Summer 2012 Quiz is Paul Sexton.

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

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society held on 31st October 2012 I was able to report that the Society had a good year financially making a surplus of £2,449.61 which was down slightly on the previous year and at 30 June 2012 the Society’s assets stood at £185,365.48. At the AGM a new President was elected Mr Peter Jones, MBE CGeog and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing President Peter Jolly for all the support he gave me in my role as Administrator although we never managed to play for the President’s Golden Ball golf trophy he very kindly donated in his time as President. I envisage that 2013 is going to be a very busy one for me as Administrator being the 50th Anniversary of the Society with all the various activities being planned that will require administrative support so I have decided (sorry my wife has) that we will end 2012 and start 2013 by spending Christmas and New Year in the sunnier climes of the Canary Islands. My regards to you all. Roger Hore BCS Administration 15 The Crescent Stanley Common Ilkeston, Derby DE7 6GL, England, UK Tel/Fax: +44(0)115 9328684 Email: admin@cartography.org.uk 7. The tallest church spire in London is St Marys Abbot Church in Kensington at how many feet? B 278 8. When was Parliament Square, Britain’s first roundabout, built? C 1926

9. How many people visited the Great Exhibition of 1851? A Over 6 million 10. Which king founded the first golf club in England at Blackheath? A James I

Maplines / Winter 2012 • 15

Quiz

1963 Themed Quiz - 50 Years of the BCS

I hope you are enjoying the quiz which is based upon events in 1963. If you are not having much success then here’s a question for you. In which year did the Immediate Past President join the Royal Air Force? If you’re not sure just have a guess! No prizes for getting this answer right but there is a prize relating to the proper quiz, namely a copy of the BCS 50th Anniversary Book. This book starts with a brief history of the Society but the bulk of the publication which runs to about 120 pages includes a wide variety of fascinating maps relating to events each year both at home and overseas from 1963 to the

present day. A great prize but if you don’t win, there will of course, be plenty of opportunities to buy a copy. As well as the book there will be a number of special events to celebrate the 50 years of the BCS. On April 12, we are delighted to be able to tell you, there will be an evening with Michael Palin at the Royal Geographical Society which will be open to all; a date in your diary. The talk will be followed by a reception – a chance to meet the great man.

at Hothorpe Hall from 3-5 September and to continue the celebrations, Jack Dangermond, Esri President, will be addressing the GIS SIG in London on 25 October in London. There are many other events too, it’ll be a busy year, so please do come and join in the celebrations. Peter Jolly Chair, Programme Committee To enter just send your answers to maplines.editors@gmail.com

Our Annual Symposium will be held

1. Which infamous event took place in the UK on the 8 August? 2. Who had a dream? 3. Who starred as Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty? 4. Which major African country achieved independence from the British Empire? 5. In which year were credit cards introduced to the UK? 6. Which major TV character made his first appearance on November 23, 1963? 7. Which film was named Best Picture at the Oscars? 8. Who was the first person to become an honorary citizen of the United States? 9. What was awarded to the International Committee of the Red Cross and League of Red Cross Societies in 1963? 10. The film ‘Lord of the Flies’ was released in 1963. Who wrote the original novel? 16 • Winter 2012 / Maplines

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