Maps & Navigation

Maps and other methods of navigation have always played a big part in human history, by providing people with the knowledge they need to explore new places and traverse over new terrain.  A map is simply the visual representation of a specific area, normally scaled down to create a useful symbolic representation of a real element of space.  While the word map can be used to refer to the plotting of abstract or imagined data sets, it is normally used to refer to the plotting of a particular area of the Earth.  Maps of the Earth can have different systems of orientation and scale, which are often dependent on the overall world view of the creator, and the geographical bias of the particular culture who is making the map.

Maps have been the chief navigational tool used by explorers and state rulers for a long time now, although their availability was often restricted to certain classes and people within a society.  With the invention of the printing press and now the computer revolution – these restrictions have been lifted in a big way, and now powerful global positioning systems (GPS) and route planner software are available to anyone with the hardware to run them on.  The entire planet has been mapped extensively by a number of orbiting satellites, providing everyday people with access to the entire world in the form of a map.

Geographical maps exist for a number of reasons, one of which is to show the political and physical borders between different nation states.  Maps are also created for the purposes of weather research and forecasting, nautical and air travel, and road navigation.  In the last quarter of the 20th century, the computer has taken over from the traditional work of the cartographer, and has been the biggest influence on map making across the globe.  The functionality of maps has been enhanced greatly due to the technology that allows different geographical data areas to be superimposed onto already existing maps.

The global navigation satellite systems that are often found in peoples’ cars are perhaps the most visible example of this technology.  By using the information provided by a number of satellites, route planning and navigational advice applications are able to monitor the user’s position and make decisions regarding the best way to get to a particular destination.  The development of satellites and computer systems have given people the opportunity to use maps in a way that is interactive and very useful in everyday situations.