Showing papers in "Cartographic Journal in 1991"

The role of maps in spatial knowledge acquisition

Abstract: One goal of cartographic research is to improve the usefulness of maps. To do so, we must consider the process of spatial knowledge acquisition, the role of maps in that process, and the content of cognitive representations derived. Research from psychology, geography, and other disciplines related to these issues is reviewed. This review is used to suggest potential new directions for research with particular attention to spatial problem solving and geographic instruction. A classroom experiment related to these issues is then described. The experiment highlights some of the implications that a concern for the process of spatial knowledge acquisition will have on questions and methods of cartographic research as well as on the use of maps in geographic instruction. It also provides evidence of independent but interrelated verbal and spatial components of regional images that can be altered by directed map work.

A conceptual basis for cartography: new directions for the information era

Abstract: (1991). A conceptual basis for cartography: new directions for the information era. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 213-216.

The United Kingdom hydrographic office

Abstract: (1991). The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 6-9.

The effects of map projections and map distance on emotional involvement with places

Abstract: Previous research has shown that people are less concerned with events that occur in distant places than with nearby happenings. World maps show the locations of and relative distances between places, but the cartographer's choice of map projection system and geographic origin for the projection can significantly affect the apparent distances between places on the map. The study reported here was designed to investigate the relationship between the emotional involvement of a sample student population with hypothetical events in a number of world locations and the distance between 'home' and those locations as shown on different map projections. Results showed a consistent inverse relationship between interest and distance, with the interest level for the same cities changing as distances (projections) were changed. Other variables also influenced people's responses. Overall, women expressed significantly higher emotional involvement with places than men, and certain regions produced a higher or lo...

The role of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain

Abstract: This paper is concerned with the future of the British national mapping agency in a society which is markedly different from that in which the Ordnance Survey Review Committee of 1979 worked. The objective is to ascertain which topographic information is needed, who should provide it, on what terms and through which mechanisms. Prior to making an attempt to answer these questions, the essential characteristics of Ordnance Survey (OS) are summarised as deduced from available documentary evidence; the changing attitudes to information as a commodity, the growing competition in British mapping and the government's stringent requirements from the Survey are also outlined as just three of the many complexities which affect OS. Building upon Smith's classic 1979 paper and subsequent experience, the rationale for government involvement in mapping is examined. It is concluded that the Survey has a continuing vital role though there are a number of steps which the OS should take in order to adapt to chang...

The enduring image of early British townscapes

Abstract: It has long been recognised that the earliest cartographic images of British towns enjoyed a long life through the re-use and adaptation of copper plates and through plagiarism. However, the precise nature of the complex relationship between various images has remained unclear and it is, therefore, necessary to try to unravel exactly which plates were adapted and re-used and who copied who and when.

The origins of that definition

Abstract: For the last two or three years there has been some debate and discussion about the modern validity of the definition of Cartography, which has now been used by the International Cartographic Association since the early nineteen seventies. This definition has its origins in an investigation made by the author in 1963 and 1964, though any credit (or blame) for the final wording must be given to the original Council of the British Cartographic Society. The present paper traces the evolution of this definition and reproduces the original, unpublished document which I produced for the Council in February 1964. I make no attempt to redefine the word in 1991.

Cartographically-related research In Birkbeck College 1987–91

Abstract: The Department of Geography in Birkbeck College is rather unusual in various ways. Part of this stems from the College's unique mission to educate students on a part-time basis: only a small proportion of students (normally research students) are full-time. As a consequence, our students attend in the evening and work during the day in their normal occupations. The range of occupations varies dramatically from top civil servants and business staff to much more humble jobs. As a consequence, what we teach goes directly into the 'corporate blood stream' of many organisations; it is often used within days of it being taught. For this reason (amongst others) we see it as essential for our research results to be fed immediately into our teaching; inevitably, then, we seek some applicable results even from the most basic of our research. Birkbeck is generally reckoned to be one of the leading centres world-wide in relation to research and applications of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This can be demonstrated in various ways. For instance, in a national research competition funded by the Natural Environment and the Economic and Social Research Councils (NERC and ESRC) in 1989, we secured about 25070 of the resources far more than any competitor. Apart from our own inhouse developments (see below), we were also the first site in Europe (in 1983) to install a commercial GIS (ARC/INFO) and now run several systems, using each for what it can do best. Because of this reputation, we are a centre to which many visitors come: recent long-stay researchers have come from China, France, Japan, Spain and Sweden. Overall, we are active in GIS in research of many kinds, much of it funded by government or international organisations, in education and training, in publishing and in consultancy. Given all this, where does cartography fit in within Birkbeck's activities? In the first instance, we exploit Desk Top Publishing and mapping in the cartography which illustrates work published by all departmental staff. More specifically, however, map-making from GIS is an everyday event within many projects and in teaching; the numbers made annually must run into many thousands. Many of our projects (e.g. for British Rail and for the Rural Development Commission) have involved displaying complex data in map form in order to convince non-expert staff about research findings. Maps as archival data stores of historical information are also important as input to our systems. Some projects (notably that on generalisation see below) are heavily cartographic. Overall, however, we see GIS and cartography as intimately linked though we do not subscribe to the view that the former is simply a tool encompassed within the latter. The spatial analysis aspects of GIS, in particular, constitute a distinctive area little explored by cartographers. It would be difficult to describe the 100+ projects carried out since 1987 in any detail. For this reason, a selection is made below and is arranged under distinct headings though most work makes a contribution to multiple areas.

University of Glasgow, Department of Geography and Topographic Science

Abstract: (1991). University of Glasgow, Department of Geography and Topographic Science. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 76-78.

Cartographic and GIS activity at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne 1987-1991

Abstract: (1991). Cartographic and GIS activity at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne 1987–1991. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 79-82.

Representing of contour lines by turning point preserving quadratic splines

Abstract: Terrain data obtained from satellite imagery or by scanning existing contour maps is in raster mode. Such data may be compressed by detecting and storing the critical points of contour lines. When hand digitising a contour map, a trained digitiser operator would usually select points which visually appear to be critical points. Existing interpolation techniques often fail to restore the critical points, including turning points, to their original positions. This article illustrates the use of splines composed of quadratic Bezier curves with monotone curvature for rendering contour lines which are represented only by their turning and end points, such that the positions of the turning points are preserved.

The British Library's map collections and the national topographic memory

Abstract: (1991). The British Library's map collections and the national topographic memory. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 27-29.

Computer cartography at the Polytechnic of Wales

Abstract: (1991). Computer cartography at the Polytechnic of Wales. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 83-86.

Desktop Mapping in the United Kingdom, 1987–1991: personal observations with special reference to UK higher education

Abstract: (1991). Desktop Mapping in the United Kingdom, 1987–1991: personal observations with special reference to UK higher education. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 101-104.

Cartographic and GIS developments at Laser-Scan, 1987–91

Abstract: (1991). Cartographic and GIS developments at Laser-Scan, 1987–91. The Cartographic Journal: Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 43-46.