JavaScript

 

JavaScript: developing a cartographic viewer for statistical data

Ioannis Guertsonii

2021

Cartography is the science and technology of making maps. Its purpose is to visualize spatial related information. In ancient and medieval times cartography was often seen as a form of art and a way to express political and religious views. It gradually evolved into an “exact” information and communication science. As geographers describe the earth, cartographers visualize it.  A map is a graphical representation of the earth and its spatial features; an atlas is a systematic collection of maps in book form. An e-atlas is an electronic or digital atlas.  

    After years of gaining knowledge and experience in the fields of cartography and computer science (particularly programming), it was time to integrate things. The aim was to demonstrate that you can create thematic maps with simple (and free) programming tools. The choice fell on JavaScript, a “simple” programming language that is available to everyone and can be run directly under standard web browsers from Google and Microsoft, among others. All you need is a text editor to type in the instructions. I chose Notepad++: this is a free editor that, in contrast to the regular Notepad, displays the various elements and structures of a program in different colors.