Collaborative Research: History of Cartography in the Twentieth Century

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

Project Abstract SES 0322129 David A. Woodward, University of Wisconsin, Madison "History of Cartography in the Twentieth Century" This proposal requests support to complete Volume Six of the History of Cartography, a 1,500-page, one million-word scholarly multi-level encyclopedia, with roughly 900 entries prepared by some 150 researchers and approximately 800 illustrations. The research focuses on the history of mapping sciences and technologies in the twentieth century. The mission of the History of Cartography Project is twofold: to complete a standard, worldwide reference work on the history of mapping in its technological, cultural, and social contexts; and to make major philosophical and methodological statements about the motives for making maps, the agents and processes used to make them, their functions, and their role in forming society's views of space and place. Of the six projected volumes, two have been completed (Volume Two was published as three books) and Volume Three (one million words, 6,000 manuscript pages) was submitted to press at the end of 2002. A proposal for Volume Four was submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities in July 2002, and plans for Volume Five will follow. The encyclopedic approach for Volume Six will allow it to be compiled in an efficient manner and will constitute a truly international effort. A comprehensive, well-organized encyclopedia should not only stimulate research on map history, but increase awareness of maps and geographic information among geographers and historians of science and technology. Information in the book will be easily searchable by the reader, both by headwords and the volume index, and the extensive bibliography and suggestions for further research at the end of each article will provide valuable signposts. The format will also lend itself far more smoothly to electronic publication, a possibility that must be anticipated. The research for Volume Six will capture and consolidate the key technological transitions in cartography during the twentieth century. Although these transitions, taken singly, are certainly not unique to mapping technologies, it is difficult to imagine a more revealing platform on which to illuminate the series of technological revolutions in information science: in information gathering (surveying, GPS, air photography, remote sensing), computer infrastructure and graphic design, and the access to geospatial information (in map libraries, GIS clearinghouses, and digital libraries as well as over the internet). Volume Six will document the most profound revolution that cartography has experienced while firsthand sources are still available. Its lasting impact will lie in the accuracy with which we document the transition to electronic cartography and society's reaction to digital mapping and geospatial data. Furthermore, the likely impact on research in the history of science and technology should be substantially greater than for the other volumes in the History series because of markedly stronger ties in the twentieth century with science and engineering, increased involvement of cartographic technology in public administration and warfare, and the far wider use of maps by the media and the public.