Exercises in Cartography - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 16

Fig. 2.1 Exercise in map lettering from the Basic Cartography Exercise Manual (1991)
Here they have to apply the theories of Imhof, Bonacker or Spiess to the map, in
order to make sure that there is no ambiguity regarding the symbols a name refers
to, to ensure the shortest possible time to find a name on the map, by using
variations in type styles, sizes, boldness, spacing and colour (Fig. 2.1 ).
In my cartography classes at the university at the same time I had to be able to
operate geodetical or photogrammetrical equipment, and map contour lines from
pairs of aerial photographs, using both hands and feet. So I had to do mapping
exercises with the equipment. Again, this was not particularly stimulating. As my
main subject was geography we also had to engage in statistical exercises, do sums
in order to compute the number of observations needed to end up with results that
were 99% significant, or compute different kind of averages. The course in statistics
was used as a threshold to keep out those without a head for mathematics although I
never later on perceived any need why such a head was required in geography, nor
in cartography. Fortunately for me, the looming onset of computers had
obliterated—in the mind of the teaching staff—the need to do exercises in the
plotting of map projections, with coordinatographs and the assistance of goniomet-
ric tables. As part of geography we also had to do geomorphology courses, and here
we had to learn to draw all kinds of diagrams, cross sections, block diagrams and
longitudinal sections. As we were interested in visualization we taught ourselves
how to draw panoramic maps, based on topographic maps (Fig. 2.2 ).
2.2 Cartography Courses
But the real interest in cartographic exercises only started when I had graduated and, as
a member of Utrecht university staff, helped to start up a Master's programme in
cartography in 1971. Then we got to know a French publication called La cartographie