Do We Still Need Maps? Cartography in the 21st Century

I’m a cartographer. Yes, that means I make maps. To many, this comes as a surprise. Common responses include “Do we still need new maps?” or “Don’t we already have all the maps?” You get used to it, but I doubt many other professions find their relevance questioned so regularly.

The confusion likely stems from a lack of insight into how the proverbial sausage is made. In the popular imagination, cartographers are synonymous with explorers, mapping new lands yet undiscovered¹. And ever since terra incognita disappeared from our atlases, so too has the perceived need for cartographers.

So let’s delve into modern cartography and uncover its enduring relevance in today’s world.

Maps and the 21st Century

Like many other professions, cartography has evolved significantly with the advent of new technologies. There was a time when cartographers plotted and drew maps by hand. They worked on huge drafting tables with a bevy of accompanying, highly specialized instruments. But now, just as in banking, filmmaking, and many other fields, computers play the central role. Almost any map destined for a purpose other than art is made on a computer.

Satellites are another key development that has revolutionized cartography in two significant ways. Firstly, satellites are foundational to the technology commonly called GPS (Global Positioning System), which specifically refers to the American satellite network. The broader term for these systems is GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems). Secondly, satellites equipped with camera sensors dramatically extend our map-making capabilities. These sensors capture images of Earth from space across various electromagnetic spectrums, including infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light.

Having explored the technological advancements in map-making, the central question remains: what do modern cartographers actually do?

Change is the only constant

The world is constantly changing. The youngest country (to be widely recognized) is South Sudan which came into existence in 2011. Before that, it was Kosovo (2008), Serbia and Montenegro’s separation (2006), and East Timor (2002). While not everyone may agree that these countries really do exist, there is demand for maps they say they do.

Zooming in, the pace of change speeds up. Cities get new roads, apartments, factories, and houses every day. Forests are planted, forests burn down, and occasionally a volcano casts out a whole new piece of land. Consider the monumental task of keeping Google Maps up to date; even this alone is a full-time endeavor for a dedicated team of cartographers.

And all of this assumes the only useful map is one that is current. Some maps project future scenarios like climate change impacts and population movements. Others depict the past like the territory of Imperial Rome in 117 AD.

Big Data & Maps

In today’s world, almost everyone has smartphones equipped with GPS chips, allowing them to pinpoint their location at any time. This is great for those of us who can’t go anywhere without turn-by-turn directions.

Many applications and services rely on this GPS data to work and it’s not a one-way street. Smartphones also transmit location information back to service providers where they store it in large databases. Data privacy concerns aside, the sheer volume and velocity of location information is a treasure trove for mapping. Harnessing this data for insights is fundamental to how many of these services operate, either to provide the service itself or to optimize it. Here are some examples of how this data is used in various services:

1. Navigation that adjusts routes with live traffic information
2. Ride-sharing and micro-mobility services that place drivers and vehicles strategically
3. Health and fitness tracking apps that show stats and community data

Beyond just basic location data, there’s a whole range of specialty sensors. These provide an array of detailed information ranging from hyper-accurate weather data and real-time air quality reports to container ship tracking and wildlife migration monitoring. With access to previously unattainable information, cartographers can now map new subjects and phenomena with unprecedented accuracy.

Satellites & Drones

Contributing significantly to the surge in geodata are earth observation technologies, notably satellites and drones. In cartography, these tools are essential for understanding larger-scale features and phenomena such as oceans, mountains, forests, hurricanes, volcanoes, and jet streams.

Earth observation has freed humanity from the bounds of Earth and granted us what could be called a God’s eye view of the planet. However, without cartographers, Earth observation only yields pretty (and expensive) pictures. It is through the art and science of map-making that such data is transformed into valuable, actionable information. Here are some examples of knowledge derived from such maps:

1. Brazil’s reduction in the rate of Amazon deforestation
2. The front line of the war in Ukraine based on unharvested crops
3. Canada’s share of global wildfire carbon emissions

The bottom line is this: just as all possible songs will never be composed and all possible websites never coded, so too will all possible maps never be created.

Maps decode the data

Maps are often thought of in a limited way – either as educational reference material or navigational aides. They’re either hung in classrooms to show geography students where stuff is or they guide drivers from point A to point B. While maps are these things, they can be so much more.

Cartography is just one facet of data visualization. What sets cartography apart is that it renders large amounts of geographic information understandable through visual means. While computers are great at manipulating and processing complex data types like satellite images and reems of big data, humans are still better at pattern recognition. Today’s computers help make maps, but humans still read and interpret them. This synergy materializes best when good cartography meets an intelligent decision-maker, one who can identify the patterns that previously lay hidden within the data and then act accordingly.

John Snow’s Cholera Map

One famous example from the past is John Snow’s cholera map. John Snow was a doctor who plotted all the cases of cholera in Soho, London during an outbreak in 1854. This approach was revolutionary in the days before the widespread acceptance of germ theory. By identifying a pattern of cases clustered around a single water pump, he was able to convince the authorities to deactivate it.

Closing Thoughts

Even if cholera is no longer the scourge it once was, the modern world is facing threats like climate change, military conflict, and pandemics. Getting the right maps into the right hands is key to surmounting these challenges. And even when it comes to more mundane challenges like avoiding traffic congestion and finding a cheap place to eat, cartography has a crucial role to play.

Ultimately, maps are more than just tools for charting physical space. They tell the stories of our complex world, helping us make sense of a multifaceted reality. As the future unfolds, we will surely need maps to help tell all the new stories in our ever-changing world.

If you need help telling one of those stories, whether in maps or words, please reach out.

Happy mapping!