Winter, 1999
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| Volume 19, Number 2 |
Winter, 1999
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From the chair
Name Change Discussion
One of the ways the current board has tried
to address the groupâs declining membership is to foster a discussion
about our name. This board wondered if the booming diversity of what we
do as cartographers has changed so much over the last decade, that people
do not necessarily relate as centrally to the name Cartography Specialty
Group any longer. In other words, is the group still relevant to what ãweä
do (which we think yes), and does the name reflect this relevancy (which
we are not so sure)?
Over the past few months, the board has tried
to provoke a discussion of our name. The intent of this was to encourage
us to reflect upon the mission of the group, to consider where the discipline
of cartography is going, and to insure that the group remains contemporary
with regard to changes in the discipline. We received 9 responses: 2 supporting
a name change, 7 opposing a change. Granted, these nine respondents hardly
represent the entire specialty group; however, their thoughtful responses
offer some food for thought.
David Fox, University of Missouri-Columbia
asked ãif cartography is about visualization and representation,
then wouldnât it be redundant to include either of those two terms
in the name of our specialty group?ä I liked this response as cartography
is about visualization and representation (V&R), but I am not so certain
that it is a sufficient answer. Should we consider what we mean by V&R
(probably), the methods that we use to perform V&R (probably not),
and the subject of our V&R (maybe)? Yaïves Ferland (McGill University)
responded with ãCartography is a science, and art and a technique;
its object, methods,
theoretical backgrounds and disciplinary challenges are well identified
and still in evolution. In particular, geographical cartography (because
there are other kinds) is largely considered as a fundamental field enduring
technological changes and shifts.ä I agree with this statement in
principle, but where I think there would be considerable disagreement is
with the contention that the ãobject, methods and disciplinary challenges
[of cartography] are well identified;ä I do agree that they are still
evolving...thatâs the reason for this discussion!
Cartographic Evolution
We do not fully understand the usefulness
of many new (and some old) methods for V&R in cartography. Very little
research has been conducted to measure the effectiveness of various representations
(virtual, 3D, dynamic, etc.), to identify what ãmapäusers learn
from these novel representations, or to link cognitive issues (development,
learning, multiple intelligences) to the design of these representations.
Dan Haug (Penn State) offers that ãCartography
brings to mind a very specific type of research agenda (dealing with static
geographic representations), while visualization expands that agenda in
many directions. Visualization points to emerging research in virtual environments
and interactive systems that allow exploration of geographic data in ways
that ÎCartographyâ could not have imagined twenty years agoä.
This view reflects, in many ways, the thoughts that the board had on the
evolution of cartography. It speaks to the real changes we have seen in
the discipline, and to how visualization has impacted the way we explore
our geographies.
Finally, Matt McGranaghan (University of Hawaii)
asks ãWhatâs in a name? History, intellectual roots, continuity,
tradition and more. What are these worth today?ä These are incredibly
important questions as they suggest the importance of our culture, our
traditions, and who we are. We need to insure that we do not ignore this
culture, but that we embrace it, encourage its diversity, and use what
we know (the past) to understand what we are learning (the future). Thanks,
Matt, for that kick in the pants. :)
An Approach for the Future
So, where are we? Should we change the name
of the specialty group? Based on the responses I received, it seems the
answer would be no, but there is certainly room for debate. Where do we
go from here? If members are in fact no longer identifying with the CSG
and its name, the approach we might take is to be more proactive about
educating people about the discipline of cartography, to inform people
about the broad scope of representations that are studied by cartographers,
to demonstrate what V&R ãmeansä in/to cartography, and
to strengthen the links between V&R in cartography and the spatial
sciences. The Board will continue discussions on declining enrollment in
the CSG. We welcome any ideas and views that you might have. I want to
thank the people mentioned in the column for their input, as well as Nancy
Winter, Armando Boniche, Linda Martson, Dominique Pahlavan and Nancy Middlebrook
who also sent email. You can always contact me at sfreunds@d.umn.edu, or
contact any other board member (see contact information in box at left).
See you in Hawaii!
Scott Freundschuh, Chair
In September, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA)
released its new Official Philadelphia Transit and Street Map. A considerable
cartographic achievement, the map shows not only every mile of track and
pavement in the
SEPTA system at a faithful 1:32,000 scale, but the position of every
baseball diamond and shape of every high school building in the city and
its immediate suburbs.
According to SEPTA, this is the only publicly
available complete street map for the nationâs fifth largest city.
Such detail comes at a price, of course. There is the $7 retail tag, very
high as public transit maps go (New Yorkâs Î98 edition, for
instance, is free). There is also the issue of portability. Fully unfolded,
the map measures approximately 90 x 114 cm, not the easiest manipulation
when you are on the bus planning your next transfer. Indeed, the map is
nearly double in both size and price as its 1992 predecessor.
As a connoisseur of shortcuts, elaborate subway-train-bus
transfers, and obscure and out-of-the-way neighborhoods and historic sites,
I feel very fortunate to have this map in my possession. I must say, however,
that in the three months since its release, I have seen exactly zero people
wielding it in public.
Undergrad and graduate entries will be judged separately. The award consists of a $1,200 cash prize, a certificate, and the NGS Atlas of the world. The cash prize may be divided based on the decisions of the judges. The application deadline was originally February 12, 1999, but has been extended.
Contact David Miller, NGS (202/775-7841, dmiller@ngs.org) or Elisabeth
Nelson, CSG Academic Director (see CSG OFFICERS for address/phone/email).
Vice Chair (1998-99)
Charles Rader
Department of Geography
University of Wisconsin - River Falls
410 South 3rd Street
River Falls, WI 54022-5001
P: 715-425-3264
F: 715-425-0643
E: charles.p.rader@uwrf.edu
Secretary/Treasurer (1998-2000)
Ann Goulette
Booz Allen & Hamilton
8283 Greensboro Drive
McLean, VA 22105
P: 703-902-5152
F: 703-902-7171
E: goulette_ann@bah.com
Academic Director (1997-1999)
Jeremy Crampton
Department of Geography
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
P: 703-993-1217
F: 703-993-1216
E: jcrampto@gmu.edu
Academic Director (1998-2000)
Elisabeth Nelson
Department of Geography
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182
P: 619-594-8560
F: 619-594-4938
E: nelson16@mail.sdsu.edu
Non-Academic Director (1997-1999)
Anna Williams
4705 Eddystone Street
Annandale, VA 22003
P: 703-758-6322
E: anna.williams@gdesystems.com
Student Director (1998-1999)
Frank Boscoe
P.O. Box 653
State College, PA 16804
P: 814-865-6421
E: fpb100@psu.edu
Past Chair (1998-1999)
Ute Dymon
205 Overlook Drive
Kent, OH 44240
P: 330-673-4789
E: udymon@kent.edu
The Cartography Specialty Group of the
Association of American Geographers is pleased to announce the 1998-1999
Masterâs Thesis Research Grants. These grants are available to masters
students working on cartographic research and who are enrolled in a geography
degree program. Grants are available up to a maximum of $300 and may be
used for items necessary and relevant to research such as travel, materials,
equipment, and human subject fees. Deadlines for applications
are November 1st, March 15th, and June 15th.
Fundable Research
· Fundable research must be cartographic in nature.
· Cartography must be the central focus of the research, and
not merely a tool used in support of some other research.
Review of Proposals
· Research proposals will be judged based upon (1) their originality,
(2) their research design or plan of work, and (3) their budget and its
justification.
· Proposals are reviewed in a non-blind process by a committee
of three people selected by the Non-Academic Director in consultation with
the CSG Chair.
Date of Awards
Awards will be made two months after the review date for which the
proposal was submitted.
Application Form Required for Submission
An application form may be obtained from the Non-Academic Director.
Fill the form out completely. Note that the applicant and the advisor are
jointly responsible for the accuracy and validity of all information on
the application. Be sure to complete the budget and justification on the
back of the application form. List the requested items from highest to
lowest priority and include price quotations for these items. Below, provide
a brief justification of why the items you are requesting are necessary
to your thesis. Finally, state whether you will accept partial funding
should the entire amount requested not be granted.
Description of the Research Plan
A description of your research plan is also required. Place your name
and the title of your thesis at the top of the first page. State the research
objectives and the specific aims of the research. Describe concisely the
methods for achieving these goals. The research plan should not exceed
three pages. Please note that human subject clearance must be obtained
before grant money can be awarded, if the research involves human subjects.
All applications must be typewritten or completed on a word processor. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications must be received by the deadline in order to be considered for funding. Submit the original signed application form and research plan, along with two copies, to:
Anna Williams
CSG Non-Academic Director
4705 Eddystone Street
Annandale, VA 22003
JAMES LOWRY is currently assistant professor and chair in the
Department of Cartography and Geography at East Central University in Ada,
Oklahoma. He received graduate degrees in geography from East Carolina
University (1988) and the University of Arizona (1996). His undergraduate
degree is in business administration and was awarded by Belmont Abbey College
(1983). He has taught cartography, aerial photography and remote sensing,
GIS, research methods, human geography, economic geography, conservation,
and world regional geography. He has been a member of the AAG since
1988. He joined the faculty at East Central in 1996 and was appointed chair
in 1998. Dr. Lowry has designed and implemented a revised program
in cartography which focuses on analytic cartographic and geographic information
science and has overseen the installation of a new state-of-the-art computer
lab. During the summers of 1997 and 1998 he was awarded an ASEE/NASA
Summer Faculty Fellowship at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Alabama. In addition to the NASA research, his primary research interest
is in mapping perceptual regions. He has completed projects on the South
(1988) and the
Southwest (1996) and is currently working on the Midwest. Additional
service includes: Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation, World History/Geography
Content Advisory Committee (1988), Judge, Oklahoma State Geography Bee
(1988), State Regents' Geography Transfer Curriculum Committee, East Central
University (1997-present), faculty sponsor for the Alpha Pi Chapter of
Gamma Theta Upsilon, chairing sessions at the 1997 and1998 AAG meetings,
School of Science and
Mathematics Safety Committee (1997) , and University Athletic Committee
(as Secretary(1997-present)).
MYKE GLUCK is an Associate Professor in the School of Information
Studies at Florida State University and has a dual appointment with the
Department of Geography. He holds a Bachelorâs degree in mathematics
from the University of Michigan with a minor in geography, an M.A. in mathematics
and an M.S. in Information Studies from the University of Oklahoma, and
a Ph.D. in Information Transfer from Syracuse University. While at Syracuse
he took additional course work in geographic thought, geographic representation,
and cognitive cartography. His research interests include understanding
user needs for spatial information, developing and testing methods and
tools for assisting users to resolve their spatial information needs, and
improving interfaces and standards for geographic information systems.
He has received numerous grants to investigate these issues. He has published
numerous papers on various aspects of spatial information including system
performance, use of focus groups to evaluate cartographic products, semiotics
of cartographic representations, use of multimedia for exploratory spatial
data analysis, role of GIS in public libraries, usability of geospatial
information in public libraries, and the usability of geospatial metadata.
He also serves on several geography doctoral student committees at FSU.
He has been an active member of AAG for nine years, and is a member of
NACIS. He has served as a reviewer for CaGIS, Journal of Geography, Cartographic
Perspectives, and several journals in information science and information
systems on items related to GIS and/or spatial representation. ãCSG
is a vibrant part of AAG and I would strive to continue and enhance those
activities relating to cartography both within AAG and in other organizations
as a Director of Information Studies is the field that seeks to make
vital connections between people and information. We take a very
user-centered view in the design, implementation, and usability of information
systems. My interest in Geography stems from the desire to make those vital
connections between people and specifically geospatial information to help
users resolve their geospatial information needs. My focus is upon representation
of space.ä
DAVID J. SMITH is a classroom teacher with over 25 years' experience
teaching middle and high school english, geography, and social studies.
He achieved national recognition for his unique method of teaching seventh
graders to draw maps of the entire world from memory, now published as
a highly successful curriculum, Mapping The World By Heart. In 1992, Smith
won the U.S. Department of Education's "A+ For Breaking The Mold" Award
for this work. Since 1992, he has been a full-time consultant, providing
lectures and workshops on informational technologies, geography, and global
issues to teachers, parents, student groups, and others in the United States,
Europe, Africa, and Asia. The curriculum directly addresses standard Number
2 of the US geography standards, and has achieved phenomenal results in
public and private schools throughout the U.S. and in locales as far-flung
as Cote D'Ivoire, and Japan. It is popular because it works.
The technique used is both traditional and up-to-date: lots of memorization,
but not the old-fashioned methodology of rote-for-rote's-sake; rather memorization
informed and enriched by the real use of knowledge, study, practice, mnemonics,
and games. In 1997, he
received a grant from the US Department of State to design a web site
for the Central and Eastern European Schools Association, and to prepare
a handbook on web-site design for schools. The site can be seen at http://www.ecis.org/ceesa.
MARK HARROWER is a Master's Degree candidate in the Department
of Geography at Pennsylvania State University. He received his B.Sc
(Honours program) in Geography from the University of Victoria, British
Columbia, in 1996. He was a research assistant at the Spatial Sciences
Laboratory at the University of Victoria from 1995-97, involved with projects
in cartography, GIS, and remote sensing. He has been a Laboratory
Instructor for both the University of Victoria and Penn State for courses
in GIS, cartography, remote sensing, climatology, and statistics.
Mark founded his own consulting business, Kermode Graphics, in 1996.
He has received the following awards: National Geographic/AAG Cartography
Specialty Group Cartography Award (1998); E. Willard Miller Award, Penn
State (1998); President's Award - Student Paper Competition, Canadian Cartographic
Association (1996); Chapman Memorial Scholarship, University of Victoria
(1995).
Mar. 13-18 - American Congress on Surveying and Mapping Annual Convention and Auto-Carto 15, Portland, Oregon. Contact: ACSM at 301-493-0200, www.survmap.org
Mar. 23-27 - Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii. Contact: AAG, 1710 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009-3198. 202-234-1450, www.aag.org
May 3-6 - International Intergraph Graphic User Group (IGUG) Conference, Huntsville, Alabama. Contact: IGUG, 115 River Road, Suite 621, Edgewater, NJ 07020. 800-955-4484, 74441.744@compuserve.com
Jun. 3-6 - Australian Book Fair, Sydney, Australia. For info: IMTA Australia & New Zealand; P.O. Box 2660, Logan city, Qld. 4114 Australia. Phone: 61 2 6201 4310; intaanz@ cos.com.au.
Aug. 14-21 - 19th International Cartographic Association General Assembly
and Conference, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Contact: ICA Ottawa 1999, 615
Booth St., room 500, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E9 Canada. 613-996-2817,
www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ica1999/; sdi98@ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca
Jul. 11-19 - 18th International Conference on the History of Cartography, Athens, Greece. Contact: Dr. George Tolias, 48 Vassileos Konstantinou Avenue, GR-116 35 Athens, +301 721 0554, or Tony Campbell at Tony.Campbell@mail.bl.uk
Aug. 14-21: 19th International Cartographic Conference. Contact Dave
Carney, ICA-Ottawa 1999, 615 Booth St., Room 500, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9
Canada. 613-992-9999. Email: ica1999@ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca. Web: http://
www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ica1999/
Sep. 24-27: International Map Trade Assoc. 19th Conference & Trade
Show, Ottawa Conference Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. For info: Linda
Mickle, IMTA. 815-939-4627. Email: imta@maptrade.org.
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