Cartographia et informatica

Like the teachings of ICT (Information & Communication Technology), Cartography is concerned with the recording and transmission of information. Cartographers, however, limit themselves to the domain of spatial data, i.e. data that is somehow bound to the Earth's surface. A geographer describes this data; a cartographer visualizes it. 

The late Dutch professor Cornelis Koeman (1918-2006) summed it up succinctly in his inaugural address at the (State) University Utrecht in 1968 by stating that a cartographer must first ask himself: “How do I say what to whom”. He/she is bound by the rules of graphic image language, as formulated by Jacques Bertin in his standard work Sémiologie Graphique (1967). 

Koeman's successor Prof. Dr. Ferjan Ormeling (1942-2025) formulated this in the Kartografisch Tijdschrift (1982-4) as follows:   “Cartography is the science of transmitting information by means of maps, in which the information to be transmitted is analysed and shaped according to the theorems of graphic semiology.” Maps may be beautiful and attractive, but must first comply with a number of fundamental design rules (grammar). He compared this to the work of an architect, who also has a degree of artistic freedom, but is above all bound by laws and regulations to prevent a building from ‘literally’ collapsing.

   

 

Because the Earth isn't flat, map-making begins with the projection of spherical coordinates onto a flat plane. Numerous mathematical formulas now exist for this problem. The choice depends on the map's application. The famous Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594) was the first to create a systematic world map in 1569, depicting routes with a constant compass direction as straight lines. This includes the meridians and parallels, which cause areas toward the poles to appear disproportionately large, leaving countries around the equator at a disadvantage. This world-famous map was originally intended for navigational purposes but is unfortunately still used for all sorts of other applications. 

Numerous computer programs have now been created for the most diverse map projections.

🖳