The Power of the Image 2011 Cartographic Language and Portrayal Dr Alex Kent Canterbury Christ Church University
The Power of the Image2011
Cartographic Languageand Portrayal
Dr Alex KentCanterbury Christ Church University
Cartographic Languageand Portrayal
● Defining cartographic expression
● Stylistic diversity in European state1:50,000 topographic mapping
● The role of cartographic language in Slovenia and Latvia
The Power of the Image2011
There is no neutral naturalism. The artist, no less the writer, needs a vocabulary before he can embark on a ‘copy’ of reality.
Gombrich (1960)
The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.
Wittgenstein (1922)
The Power of the Image2011
Kraak and Ormeling (1996)
Robinson et al. (1995)
Keates (1996)
1:10 000
1:25 000
1:50 000
1:100 0001:250 000
General Staff of the Soviet Union Armed Forces(1964-1986)
Olson and Whitmarsh (1944)
Department of Transport (1995)
Shooting Range(Denmark)
Castle(Belgium) Radio Mast
(Finland)
Police Station(Ireland)
Sewage Treatment Plant(Latvia)
Windmill(France)
Other Church(Poland)
Alpine Dairy Farm(Austria)
Watermill(Spain)
The Power of the Image2011
Ordnance Survey, 2004
The Power of the Image2011
The Power of the Image2011
The Power of the Image2011
IGN, 1981
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Why should there be stylistic diversity?
● Terrain, climate, and vegetation
The Power of the Image2011
The Power of the Image2011
Lantmäteriet, 2001
The Power of the Image2011
Topografische Dienst, 1999
The Power of the Image2011
Landesvermessungsamt Nordrhein-Westfalen, 2004
The Power of the Image2011
Bundesamt Für Eich- und Vermessungswesen, 1998Uprava Republike Slovenije, 2003
The Power of the Image2011
Why should there be stylistic diversity?
● Terrain, climate, and vegetation
● Culture and society
Some features have more importance in certain cultures, thus:
The landscape may be classified differently:▪ selection/omission of features▪ detail (number of symbols per feature type or ‘class’)
Features may be symbolized differently:▪ emphasis (e.g., shape, colour, size, texture)▪ abstraction▪ aesthetic value
Inuit terms for snow and ice(Hall, 1997)
The Power of the Image2011
Investigating Stylistic Diversity● Consistency of Scale and Purpose
(20 European state 1:50 000 topographic maps)- Widespread accessibility and usage- Versatile (equilibrium of generalization)
● Preservation of Choice- Design limitations (paper) - Usage limitations (single visualization)
● Legend Symbologies- Independent of landscape covered on single sheet- Perceived to be useful to the user
● Classification of Discrete Symbols - 19 initial classes aggregated into broader classes- Colour, Lettering, Visual Hierarchy, ‘White’ Space
The Power of the Image2011
Czech Republic France Slovenia
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Road
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0
Belgium
Great Britain
Netherlands
Portugal
Ireland
Switzerland
Czech Republic
France
Sweden
Iceland
Spain
Denmark
Slovenia
Germany
Norway
Austria
Cou
ntry
Percentage of Whole Symbol Set
Hydrology
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0
Iceland
Norway
Slovenia
Germany
Austria
Sweden
Belgium
Denmark
Portugal
Switzerland
Czech Republic
France
Spain
Ireland
Netherlands
Great Britain
Cou
ntry
Percentage of Whole Symbol Set
Star Plot of Level III Symbol Counts(Poland Example)
The Power of the Image2011
Cluster Analysis: Level III Classification
The Power of the Image2011
The Power of the Image2011
Ordnance Survey, 2004
The Power of the Image2011
Ordnance Survey Ireland, 2003
Political Independence and Cartographic Language
‘Geopolitical blocks’(after Dingsdale, 1999; 2002)
The Power of the Image2011
Yugoslav National Army, 1970
Uprava Republike Slovenije, 2003
The Power of the Image2011
The Power of the Image2011
Rīga – Before and After Independence
(GUGIK, 1980) (LGIA, c. 1998)
General Staff of the Soviet Union Armed Forces, 1988
Latvian State Land Service, 1998
Latvian State Land Service, 2001
The Power of the Image2011
Contrasting Cultures of Map Use
In Yugoslavia, surveying was devolved and 1:5,000 aerial photography existed for most areas of Slovenia
In Yugoslavia, access to topographic maps wasless restricted (e.g. for orienteering)
In the USSR, topographic maps were secret documents and not available for public use
After independence, Slovenia’s state topographic maps were more articulate in expressing the national landscape
Common Ground, 2000
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OpenStreetMap, 2010
USGS-International Map of the World, 1949 (1:1 000 000)
Vi parolas Esperanton?
The Power of the Image2011
The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.
Wittgenstein (1922)