Scribd
Upload
10 views15 pages

1 Digital Cartography1

The document discusses the evolution of cartography from prehistoric times to contemporary practices, highlighting significant milestones such as ancient maps, medieval contributions, and advancements during the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. It emphasizes the role of technology in modern cartography, including GIS and interactive digital maps. The work serves as an overview of the historical development and importance of map-making throughout human history.

Uploaded by

Black Lion
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
10 views15 pages

1 Digital Cartography1

The document discusses the evolution of cartography from prehistoric times to contemporary practices, highlighting significant milestones such as ancient maps, medieval contributions, and advancements during the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. It emphasizes the role of technology in modern cartography, including GIS and interactive digital maps. The work serves as an overview of the historical development and importance of map-making throughout human history.

Uploaded by

Black Lion
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

Why Digital Cartography?

Ananda Y. Karunarathne/ PhD


Dept. of Geography,
University of Colombo
19/01/2025

MGIS 5123: Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Digital Cartography (2 Credits)


In 1949 Lloyd Brown had remarked that
"map making is perhaps the oldest variety of primitive art . . . as
old as man's first tracings on the walls of caves and in the
sands”….

Reference: Lloyd A. Brown, The Story of Maps (Boston: Little,


Brown, 1949; reprinted New York: Dover; 1979), 32.

ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 2
Prehistoric and Ancient Maps
Prehistoric Maps:
o The earliest forms of cartography are believed to date back to prehistoric times.

o Carvings on rocks and cave walls from around 12,000 BCE have been interpreted
as rudimentary maps, depicting hunting routes, water sources, and settlements.

o Example: The Çatalhöyük map from Turkey (6200 BCE), often regarded as the
oldest known map, shows a plan of a settlement.

Reference: Harley, J. B., & Woodward, D. (1987). The History of Cartography: Vol. 1,
Prehistoric to Ancient Maps. University of Chicago Press.
ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 3
PRINCIPAL AREAS AND SITES ASSOCIATED WITH PREHISTORIC ROCK ART IN THE OLD WORLD.

Harley, J. B., & Woodward, D. (1987).

ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 4
THE PREHISTORIC AND HISTORICAL TIME
SCALE.
(The period of European and Middle Eastern rock and
mobiliary art is compared with the historical period.
Maps
usually described as the "earliest"-such as those on
Mesopotamian clay tablets-come from the historical
period. The dates of two of the better-known
prehistoric maps are indicated.)

Harley, J. B., & Woodward, D. (1987).

ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 5
Harley, J. B., & Woodward, D. (1987).

THE RAJUM HAN!' STONE.


The interpretation of this Jordanian inscription from the early centuries A.D. as a part-plan, part-profile
representation of a livestock enclosure is confirmed by the text on the reverse of the stone.
Size of the original: 50 X 95 em.

ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 6
ELEMENTS IN A MODERN
TOPOGRAPHICAL
MAP.

This tracing of field boundaries, paths,


roads, streams,
and trees is employed to suggest that the
visual characteristics
of modern maps may be similar to those of
comparable prehistoric
maps.

Harley, J. B., & Woodward, D. (1987).

ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 7
Prehistoric and Ancient Maps/2
Mesopotamian and Egyptian Maps:
o The Babylonians created clay tablet maps around 2300 BCE.

o The Babylonian World Map (c. 600 BCE) is one of the earliest known attempts
to represent the world.

o Egyptian cartography (c. 1500 BCE) included maps of land ownership and
irrigation systems, such as the Turin Papyrus Map.

Reference: Bagrow, L., & Skelton, R. A. (1964). History of Cartography. Harvard


University Press. ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 8
Prehistoric and Ancient Maps/3
Ancient Greek Contributions:
o Greek scholars revolutionized cartography.

o Anaximander (6th century BCE) is credited with creating one of the first world
maps based on scientific principles.

o Ptolemy (2nd century CE) compiled Geographia, which introduced the


concepts of latitude, longitude, and projections.

Reference: Toomer, G. J. (1998). Ptolemy's Almagest. Princeton University Press.


ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 9
Medieval Cartography
European Medieval Maps:

o Medieval maps in Europe were often religious and symbolic, such as the T-O
maps, which depicted Jerusalem at the center of the world.

o The Mappa Mundi, created in Hereford, England (c. 1300), is a famous


example.

Reference: Edson, E. (1997). Mapping Time and Space: How Medieval


Mapmakers Viewed Their World. British Library.
ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 10
Medieval Cartography/2
Islamic and Chinese Contributions:
o Islamic scholars preserved and enhanced ancient Greek and Roman cartographic
knowledge.

o Al-Idrisi’s Tabula Rogeriana (1154) was a highly accurate map of the known world.

o Chinese cartography flourished under the Han dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE) and Song
dynasty (960–1279).

o The earliest known printed map, the Yu Ji Tu (1137), shows China’s administrative
divisions.

Reference: Harley, J. B., & Woodward, D. (1987). The History of Cartography: Vol. 2, Islamic
ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 11
and Asian Traditions. University of Chicago Press.
Renaissance and the Age of Exploration
Renaissance and the Age of Exploration:
o The Renaissance marked a significant turning point in cartography, driven by the
rediscovery of Ptolemy’s Geographia (150 AD) and the advent of the printing press

o Explorers like Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama relied on increasingly accurate
maps.

o The Mercator Projection, developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569, provided a way to


represent the globe on a flat surface while preserving accurate compass bearings.

Reference: Brotton, J. (2012). A History of the World in Twelve Maps. Penguin Books.
ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 12
The Scientific Revolution and Modern Cartography
18th and 19th Centuries:
o Advances in surveying techniques, such as triangulation, allowed for more precise
maps.

o The Great Trigonometric Survey of India (1802–1871) is a notable example.

o Atlases became widespread, with Abraham Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570)
recognized as the first modern atlas.

Reference: Robinson, A. H. (1982). Early Thematic Mapping in the History of Cartography.


University of Chicago Press.
ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 13
The Scientific Revolution and Modern Cartography/2
20th Century:

o The invention of aerial photography and satellite imagery revolutionized


mapmaking.

o Geographic Information Systems (GIS) emerged as a tool for managing


and analyzing spatial data.

Reference: Goodchild, M. F. (1992). "Geographical Information Science." International


Journal of Geographical Information Systems, 6(1), 31–45.

ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 14
Contemporary Cartography
o Modern cartography integrates advanced technologies, such as GPS,
Remote Sensing, Machine Learning, and AI technologies.

o Interactive digital maps, such as Google Maps, have made cartography


accessible to the general public.

Reference: Dodge, M., Kitchin, R., & Perkins, C. (2011). The Map Reader:
Theories of Mapping Practice and Cartographic Representation. Wiley.

ananda@geo.cmb.ac.lk 15

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy