Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cartography

Where did that continent go?

WhackyparseThis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:39:01 -0800

Is there any technical reason why Antarctica often gets left off world maps?

Where can I download a vector (.svg?) map of the 5 boroughs in NYC?

ejfox — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:14:36 -0800

Where could I download (for free or cheap) an .svg or other vector-based map including or specializing on the 5 boroughs of NYC? I don't need streets or lots of detail. Just a general outline. Thanks!

GPS device for DIY maps

mateuslee — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:31:53 -0800

A good GPS for DIY cartography -- what do you think? I asked a question a couple weeks ago about DIY cartography resources, but most of the options weren't really what I was looking for. I work as a language documentarian in some pretty remote regions in the Andes, often only accessible by foot, and would like to take note of where certain villages, plants, and resources are for work on toponyms and for future reference in my research.

I had an idea that a good approach may be to simply use a very simple GPS device to mark longitude and latitude of certain places and input it to Google Earth later when I get back. Does this seem like a good idea? It will ensure that my maps are easy to make and are to scale.

So, I'm looking for the right device to help me do this. I'd like to keep it around $100 or so (my budget is dwindling fast!)....
What do you think about this Garmin eTrex® H GPS and the Bushnell® Backtrack GPS? Is there any better product or approach to take?

Ideas much appreciated! Thanks a lot!

Resources for novice cartographer

mateuslee — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:35:09 -0800

What are some good resources for making my own maps? I do fieldwork in some remote (and mountainous) parts of the world, and although government issue maps are available, their usefulness and reliability are often questionable.

It occurred to me that it'd be an interesting exercise to make my own maps of the regions where I work and on those maps mark only those things which are relevant to my specific domain of research.

Does anyone have any suggestions about cartography resources and tools? Tips are much appreciated! Thanks a lot!

Back to school, for a different career... in Europe

janek — Sun, 03 May 2009 11:31:09 -0800

After one year of getting BSc and working in the field, I'd like to switch careers and re-locate from Canada. Are there any schools in Europe that would take in foreign students interested in cartography? I have been working as a web developer since 17, I am now 25. I am sick of web development and had epiphanies after epiphanies about doing other things with my life, especially now that I'm quarter-century old. (Quickie background info) I figure map-making is one area I can go into... (others are marine navigation, electrician, librarian technician). I do have familial obligations so I'm sticking with the more "stable" career choices.

I really yearn to live in Europe, doesn't matter which country exactly. I have beginners background in Swedish, Dutch when I visited the country, and French from highschool. There's also Japanese that I taught myself on and off since highschool 6 years ago. Basically I know I'm going to be a keen learner and adapt once plopped into something (as with rugby and dragonboating).

Are there such schools with a program in cartography (or its parent, geography) for someone like me? I don't care if it's a trades school, undergraduate, or masters... as long as what I learn will earn proper income and in the process, be in a totally different culture from the one I spent my formulative years in.

(And yes, I do like maps.)

Where in the world is.........

micklaw — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:47:52 -0800

Please pass on your favourite online mapping websites, with an emphasis on interactive applications. I really love maps. I spend a lot of time using a variety of (mainly educational) online maps such as the WWF Wildfinder, NationMaster, Reuters AlertNet, Globalis and the very excellent Geoscience Australia Sentinel Bushfire tool and so on. Maps of War is also an excellent resource in a similar vein, although not as interactive as those previously listed.

Anyway, the internet being what it is, I am sure there are many more fantastic resources online that I have not yet come across and I would love to tap the collective mind of Metafiler users to help me expand my mapping horizons.

Post your recommendations, particularly with an emphasis on non-US maps (global or other regions would be most useful) as these will be used in a non-US school.

Thanks in advance!

Wish I still had my class notes...

bellbellbell — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:01:34 -0800

Looking for a specific article on text placement on a map. I am trying to find a specific article (it may have been a book chapter) about text placement on maps. It was required reading in a cartography class c. 2004-2005, but referred to as THE authority on the subject. It could easily have been fifty years old. It had helpful little illustrations.

Any ideas?

How to maps some trails with a GPS?

SNACKeR — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:57:32 -0800

How can I create a trail map using a GPS? I would like to walk (or bike) some old logging roads and generate a map that I can then print. There must be way to do this using a GPS and cartography software, but I have been unable to find a solution. Any recommendations for a GPS that is suitable for this would also be welcome. I currently have a Garmin 250W.

Perhaps there is a solution using Google Earth?

I have a GIS question.

BoldStepDesign — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:37:10 -0800

Basically, I want to build mapping system, similar to google maps, using something like Map server & open layers. Take in my own image, such as a building map, define roads or “hallways”, and import points via a XML or RSS feed. I want an interface that I can take the xml feed and run it under the map in a box, displaying it under the map, allowing users to click on the event, and being able to see where they need to go, and using a current fixed position, being able to see how to get there.

Mapgeek looking for a career

desjardins — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:56:45 -0800

What kind of career can I pursue that involves maps, apart from the obvious (cartography, GIS, geography teacher)? I love maps. Correction: I LOVE maps. I want to think outside the box and compile a list of alternative career opportunities that involve maps in some way; either creation or analysis. My minimum is $40K/year. Domestic or foreign travel is fine but I don't want to relocate outside of the US (preferably midwest or west coast). Not-for-profit is OK. I'd love something I can do as a consultant, though I realize that might be tough in the current economic climate. I'm mostly interested in demography/human geography/sociological issues. Not especially interested in environmental/sustainability issues. I have a Master's in urban planning with a concentration in GIS.

My skills/education (not exhaustive):

GIS (ArcGIS, MapInfo, Idrisi)

Cartography

Urban planning

Web design

Basic graphic design (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)

Basic database development & management

Research/statistics/data analysis

Basic VB

Excellent writing and editing

Good presentation skills
Good troubleshooting/problem solving

Intermediate spoken/written French

Skills I want to acquire:

Web dev (PHP, AJAX, ASP.net, etc.)

Programming (C#, etc, open to suggestions)

Expand RDMS skills (MySQL, etc)

Spanish

I welcome contact through MeFi mail or my gmail listed in my profile.

Calling all mapmakers

furnace.heart — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:25:54 -0800

Resources on amateur cartography? Help me make some maps. I have been fairly interested in maps my whole life, and over the next few months i will be taking a series of trips that i would like to document with some hand-drawn maps. I am an avid journaler, and would like to incorporate some (hopefully well-done) maps. I have a pretty basic drawing background, and am comfortable sketching up things....but i have no idea how to go about gauging how to sort of draw a map from scratch.

Does anyone have any good websites, books or even practical advice while drawing basic maps?

Is there a cartographer in the house?!

What about London should I map?

viewofdelft — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:23:05 -0800

What about London should I map? I'm in an Advanced GIS class for which I need to produce a final cartographic project. The project must begin in ArcGIS but from there I'm free to use anything else (Illustrator, Flash, Google Earth, etc). In the spirit of John Snow, I'd like to make my upcoming trip to London a force for academic good.

I have a GPS unit, a DSLR camera, a student's budget, and a winning personality. What should I map? I'm open to all suggestions as long as they meet the following criteria:

1) The map should present complex and interesting information. I'm not too worried about this one because questions soliciting suggestions on this site often generate very interesting answers.

2) The project/map should be focused. I'll be in London for only a week and I'd like to make the data collection effort into a sort of overarching theme for my visit. That means I should probably confine my map to one neighborhood or area (I'm staying in Soho, but don't let that restrict you).

3) The data can come from any (accessible) source. I'd like to have a little fun gathering the data, but if your suggestions for a map can just as easily be constructed with data from other sources, I'd be happy to hear them. I live in the United States, so any return trips are out of the question this semester.

Thanks in advance. If I choose to go with one of the suggestions, I'll keep you updated.

Terms for battle maps?

wowbobwow — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:47:42 -0800

Official terminology to describe battle movement maps? (more inside) Please help me find what the proper term is to describe the large physical maps used by generals etc to plan attacks and troop movements. Think the big tables where they shuffle little objects around with long sticks, like in some old war films. Is there one definitive term for this?

you got map'd

pinto — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:17:10 -0800

What are the best essays, books, or scholarly articles regarding the social role of maps? Both pre- and post- web 2.0, google earth mash ups, and the like. I'm familiar with the Situationalist critique, but wonder where else to begin reading. Bonus: Current mapping projects which seem particularly relevant with regard to socialization, cultural production, etc.

Maps on a Mac

MarshallPoe — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:08:20 -0800

GraphicsFilter: Help me find a program to import and mark up maps on a Mac. I want a graphics programs that will allow me to import line maps and mark them up with colors, symbols and so on. I know how to use simple graphics programs (e.g., OmniGraffle, which I love), but fear Illustrator. What are my choices? Should I fear Illustrator?

Also, I assume I need to buy the graphics program, purchase the line maps, import them, and then mark them up. Is that right?

"The Map of a Single province covered the space of an entire City."

viewofdelft — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:50:20 -0800

I'm looking for maps "the same scale as the Empire." Both Jorge Luis Borges and Lewis Carroll describe fictional 1:1 scale maps in which the map is as vast as what it represents.

What other 1:1 maps can be found in literature (or the real world, for that matter)? I'd also be happy if you point me towards other outlandish maps on par with the 1:1 map. Thanks.

How do I combine polygons?

Doofus Magoo — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 07:48:05 -0800

Given multiple contiguous polygons, the coordinates of which are precisely known, how can I combine them into a coordinate set for a single polygon? I'm creating some maps that show the zip codes within a US metro area, shaded by the frequency of a particular event within each zip code. I've got the cartographic boundary files from the Census Bureau, and have created some pretty nice-looking maps using Perl and GD. However, I'd like to draw custom borders around certain contiguous "clusterings" of zip codes. Can anyone describe (not necessarily in code -- even just at an abstract, theoretical level) how I might combine multiple polygons (for which I have exact coordinates) into a single polygon, the outline of which I can overlay on the map as the "cluster border?"

The only thing I've thought of would be to actually draw in a temp image each zip code as a filled polygon, and then do a pixel-by-pixel analysis of the resultant image to figure out where the border lies, but surely there's a simpler way.... isn't there?

Man, the beltway sure is a pretty octagon!

phrontist — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 13:00:08 -0800

Is there a geographically accurate map of the DC metro system? Like this London tube map?

Is there a GIS + Google Maps website?

blacklite — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 20:46:42 -0800

Is there a website that lets you show GIS data (i.e. standard geographical data from various sources) on Google Maps? I thought I had seen something like this referenced in a MetaFilter post, or here, but I can't find it anywhere. Help, o wise people.

where the 性交 am I?

luriete — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 11:27:14 -0800

How do I see this google map of Japan with English placenames?

GIS & London assistance required

kuperman — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:19:49 -0800

Looking for a street shape file of London that is readable and useful in ArcView 3.2. Oh yeah, it would be nice to find it for free. Any takers?

MrSID compressed images on a Mac?

luriete — Sun, 27 Feb 2005 13:20:42 -0800

The Library of Congress uses the MrSID image compression format for many maps and other items available online. How can I get the full-resolution files, in whole, onto my mac so that I can edit/print them from photoshop? Unfortunately, Lizardtech, the folks who make the software, tell me that there is very little support for the Mac platform other than a browser plugin which only allows one to save a small portion of the file at screen resolution. Does anyone know a way to somehow transmute the files - I am able to save the .sid files onto my machine - into another format so that I can save/print the whole file, not just the little pieces that the viewer allows me to see? I just don't understand why the LOC is using this technology which seems deliberately designed to restrict access to these images. They're out of copyright or never were to begin with, and I don't like the fact that they've only made these images available in a format that some people can use.