Computers Give Maps a New Direction

For almost as long as there has been civilization, there have been maps 8212; to record the boundaries of property and territories, to iden...

For almost as long as there has been civilization, there have been maps 8212; to record the boundaries of property and territories, to identify landmarks, to show the way to destinations. Primitive maps grew in sophistication thanks to the ancient Greek invention of geometry, which made possible more accurate measurements of distances. More than 200 years before the Christian era began, Greeks had theorized that the Earth was round and estimated its size within 15 percent of current measurements.

In Europe8217;s Age of Discovery 8212;roughly 1500 to 18008212;the science of mapmaking advanced explosively as improvements in timekeeping and astronomy led to the development of the latitude and longitude grid system. Explorers could determine exactly where they were on the grid as they charted new coastlines and lands.

Now, thanks to satellite photography, global information systems and advances in computer technology, cartographers 8212;professional and amateur8212; are entering what promises to be a new golden age of maps. Millions print maps and travel directions every day8212;all swiftly generated on a half-dozen free and easy-to-access websites. Hand-held Global Positioning System units can locate anyone at any place on the globe.

But that is only the beginning of what is possible with the marriage of maps, computers and the Internet. Growing numbers of cities use satellite photography and sophisticated analytical tools to make real-time assessments of patterns of growth, development and land use. Third World countries are using the same tools to create plans to limit the potential environmental ravages of rapid economic development and to plan growth to allow the most efficient use of limited infrastructure resources. These new tools promise to multiply the effectiveness of analyses by scientists, economists and public planners.

Perhaps most exciting, the stories these new maps are available on the Internet free. Visitors can create maps tailored to their needs by clicking on 8216;8216;Map Maker,8217;8217; or use the site8217;s 8216;8216;dynamic8217;8217; feature.

That8217;s just the start of the revolution. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is producing a spectacular topographic atlas of the world using information gathered by radar on an 11-day mission in February 2000 of space shuttle Endeavour. Images from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission can be found on the Net at photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/SRTM.

Then there is the remarkable new service provided by Google. Its Google Earth allows visitors to sweep seamlessly from a satellite vantage point down to any location in the United States, Canada or Britain. You can soar over the landscape like a bird, tilting and rotating it at your whim. Google Earth requires a relatively new PC and free sftware downloaded from the Google site.

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Google charges for versions with better views. But such sightseeing is not the real revolution available from Google. It has released its map-generating software, or API, at http://www.google.com/apis/maps/. With the Google API, a Google map can be combined with any geographically tagged information to create a new map.

The increasingly sophisticated maps that use tools ranging from advanced photography to digital manipulation of data are virtually works of art. One example is the newly published, latest edition of Oxford University Press8217; Atlas of the World. The heavy volume includes the features that have made this the gold standard among atlases8212;hundreds of beautifully colored, detailed maps showing topography, roads, boundaries and other key features, as well as a detailed index and a wealth of data on the state of the world.

But it also features a spectacular collection of satellite photographs of famous cities and other notable settings around the world, pictures that bring home the powerful appeal of maps and the limitless possibilities of this new age of satellites and computers.

Look at Cairo and find the shadows of the pyramids. Look at Athens and find those locales in Greece where mathematicians made those first geometric calculations.

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Look at Cape Town and find the Cape of Good Hope, the goal of so many of those European explorers who added so much to the world8217;s maps 500 years ago. As Miguel de Cervantes said, 8216;8216;Journey over all the universe in a map, without the expense and fatigue of traveling8217;8217;

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