Hi and welcome back to another blog post! Although I am making my map by hand, most maps are made digitally nowadays. Modern technology has evolved, changing how we both design and interpret maps. Subsequently, people use the maps on their phone when going basically anywhere, and GPS is becoming a necessity for everyday life. In the past, you either had to figure it out or pull out the paper map. As a result, it wasn't quite as simple to get from one place to another. In this post, I will compare the process of map-making in the past versus the process of making a map in modern days. Past Before I look at the current technology of cartography, I need to look at the technology used in the past to get some perspective. Similar to most technology, the technology that is used for map-making has evolved vastly. If you take a minute to look at an ancient map, you will find yourself asking the question How did they make that? After some research, I have found a good overview on how these maps were actually made. The methods of cartography have remained virtually the same until recently. As a person who grew up surrounded by technology, I have only known a world filled with the simplicity of Google Maps. However, people in the past didn't have access to this kind of technology, so they relied on other things. Using the measures of angles and distances and various points, people successfully made kind-of-accurate maps. Furthermore, cartographers would use the path of the sun to determine the cardinal directions. For example, using the points of the summer and winter solstice, you can determine the east-west axis. Unfortunately, these methods were far from accurate. The sun moves throughout the year, so a cartographer would have to know the exact time of year and angle measurements in order to make a map that was accurate. On the contrary, some methods were actually very accurate. One of these methods it using the celestial equator to measure east to west. Since the equator remains constant around the globe, these measure are mostly accurate. By using stars and constellations close to the equator, one can achieve this accuracy. To map the actual land, map-makers would simply count their steps from one point to the other. This was used when mapping the borders or bodies of water, like rivers. Next, you would draw a grid and draw the line using segments created by the grid. Additionally, to map the land regions, people would just climb a mountain and look around. Although that seems like it would be inaccurate, it was actually pretty accurate. People used to mainly travel on either foot or horseback, so there was no need for maps of the land for everyday use. Instead, they would just use the trails that were already present to get from point A to B. The only time where maps were crucial was during sea travels where there were no trails of landmarks to give you a sense of direction. To give you a sense of how long ago maps began to become accurate, I will give you a few different advancements in cartography. In 1762, the longitude relative to the Prime Meridian was accurately measured using the Chronometer H4. Furthermore, this was designed by John Harrison and was the first time this was accurately measured in history. Meanwhile, the current world map wasn't fully completed until 1932 when the polar regions were added to the map. Until then, there were gaps missing from the map of our world. Present Ever since the first artificial satellite was launched into space, map-making has become a whole lot easier. The meticulous process of making a map was made a bit easier by these amazing innovations. A few different technological advancements have influenced cartography, but the most impactful was the creation of aerial photography. Moreover, aerial photography was developed because of the aircraft. The use of aerial photography with cartography increased during World War l and World War ll. As a result of aerial photography, NASA was given a strong foundation for their future satellites. Some tools were use not for the actual creation of the map but for the collection of data. With machines that can track virtually anything, cartographers can easily acquire necessary information for their maps. For example, people who track earthquakes can use data from seismographs when collecting data for their maps. Three advancements that have revolutionized the world of cartography are GIS, GPS, and satellites, which all add a different element to modern map-making. Consequently, these allow making a map to be an easier process. First, geographic information system, GIS, is a program used to research layers of geospatial data. In simpler terms, GIS allows different information to be displayed geographically through maps in order to show patterns and relationships between data. Second, global positioning system, GPS, supplies coordinate through the use of satellites and receiving units. This has become an important tool for surveying, a big part of map-making. Thus, it takes a lot less time to survey and collect information than in the past. Additionally, it has become a primary tool for navigation used by people daily. In summary, without GPS, people would drive around in circles with no sense of direction. Lastly, satellites have formed a fast, reliable system to collect data for maps. In the past, it took years to collect data for your maps, but now it can be done in a mere hour. Furthermore, satellites are constantly mapping Earth's surface and supplying new information. Hence, satellites have allowed for the creation of numerous maps displaying an array of information. Learning about this topic this week was very beneficial to me. After learning about this new technology, I was able to grasp how much cartography has really changed. Being able to pull out a map on our phone is something that we take for granted, and it is a tool that past people have not had access to. Nonetheless, those people were still able to find fairly accurate ways to create their maps using the technology they had at the time. All-in-all, it has been very interesting to see all of the different ways cartography has developed. See you next week with another blog post!
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