Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
10.1 Introduction
One exciting future direction for mapping, involving alteration of the heart
of Euclidean geometry and consequent implications in the world of map-
ping, was hinted at in the last part of Chapter 9 and earlier in this work.
It is, indeed, a consideration perhaps of “whether pigs have wings.” Many
approaches to the “new” in fact have roots deeply embedded in earlier times.
As interests and technology change, it becomes all the more important to
remember not only to look to the past as an archive, but also to embrace the
past and use it as a base for the future. For now, as a way to wrap up the many
concepts and activities covered in this work, we offer deeper views and state-
of-the-art views of the “cabbages and kings” of the contemporary mapping
world and their associated mathematical underpinnings.
10.2 From the classics to the modern: Past and present
Most students of physical geography, cartography, and
other subjects, including jig-saw puzzlers, become
excited when they first encounter Erwin Raisz's astound-
ing hand-drawn map of the
Landforms of the United
States
. This map has served as an inspiration for genera-
tions of mappers to take the trouble to include accuracy,
science, and beauty into their cartographic works. Here
is a map that truly merges science and art and clearly
reveals cartography as a discipline that includes both
raiszmaps.com/
).
Evidence of this inspiration is apparent in the Thelin and Pike map made
over 30 years later that shows far greater detail than even Raisz might have
imagined (
Figure 10.1
). The technological revolution that is upon us per-
mits not only clear visual improvement and archivability, but also offers
user interactivity and product delivery over the Internet, as well as the abil-
ity to attach extra information on how the map was made, geological issues
dealt with, and more. Today, one can download the map directly from the
USGS in a variety of file formats and also follow the links to the fascinating
story behind the map.
Figure 10.2
shows a screenshot of a portion of the
map in its color version. Note that the map was published at a small scale,
but used large scale Digital Elevation Models to create it. The resulting map
shows not only broad features and processes, but also landforms only a few
kilometers wide, such as Sutter Buttes in the Central Valley of California.
Take the time to examine the USGS website and follow the saga of the
making of this amazing 1991 edition of the
Landforms of the Conterminous
United States.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search