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Foretelling Future Of Maps
June 15, 2004Cartography is an eternal science. A Russian researcher reviews its history and the role of maps in the past and future of mankind.
People have started to use maps long ago. According to A.M. Berlyant, Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Old Testament already contains mentioning about maps. Apparently, even back in the biblical times, during the siege of large cities, the warriors made use of the plan of the besieged city. In all centuries, the maps were necessary for seafarers, other travelers and merchants. The scientists emphasizes that thousands of years have drastically changed the survey and map-making technology, and the map functions remain unchanged: maps are required for navigation, communication, perception of the world, econimic and military purposes.
Turning points in cartography are bound with technical inventions: mechanical ones, and then optical astronomical and surveying instruments, surveying cameras and other means of remote probing, global satellite positioning systems. New technologies allowed to increasingly raise survey precision, expand spatial coverage and heighten efficiency. As for map-making, it evolved from hand-written paper maps (III century D.C.) toward map printing (mid-15th century), and then to photomechanical process of map issue. Last century witnessed the origin of digital and electronic technologies, databases and data banks started to be used, then geographic information systems were invented, and at the very end of the century, computer cartography/atlas methods were invented.
Considering the future of cartography, the scientist outlines some points of increase. Mapping becomes increasingly operative, it is performed in real-time mode and covers more space. The role of digital data processing and digital simulation is getting more important. The entire world is carried away by creation of digital model of the Earth, country, city. Thanks to contemporary technologies, the maps are getting more realistic, the multimedia and virtual technologies serving the purpose. A promising direction is Web-mapping, i.e. creation and utilization of maps in computer networks. That is convenient as ensures operative access to maps from any point. The Internet is turning into a global geographic information system.
Integration of cartography, geo-information science and technique, aerospace probe and adjacent sciences gave rise to a new science - geo-image processing - i.e. the science about geo-images, ways of their creation and utilization. The researcher forecasts that intelligent geo-images will appear in the near future generated in the virtual computer environment in the real-time mode.
Therefore, the map as a means of spatial data communication will be always needed as a way of outward things perception and the world simulation technique. Cartography will exist as long as the sciences about the Earth and planets are in place.
Informnauka (Informscience) Agency
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