IELTS, ESP, EAP and CALL

This interactive map documents where 443 million people around the world get there water (although the United States data is by far the most extensive).  Most people can't answer this question.  A recent poll by The Nature Conservancy discoverd that 77% of Americans (not on private well water) don't know where their water comes from, they just drink it.  This link has videos, infographics and suggestions to promote cleaner water.  This is also a fabulous example of an embedded map using ArcGIS Online to share geospatial data with a wider audience.  

 

Tags: GIS, water, fluvial, environment, ESRI, pollution, development, consumption, resources, mapping, environment depend, cartography, geospatial. 

Customize one-page maps and download, email, print, or share!

 

Want to make a custom map don't have a cartographic background or access to GIS software?  This online program will give you what you need. 

While the web mapping world still relies too much on the Mercator projection for my preference, it is a testament to the enduring impact that his ideas have had in literally shaping our World.  When discussing map projections, this article has some valuable materials. 

We live in a world steeped in graphic information. From Google Maps and GIS to the proliferation of infographics and animated maps, visual data surrounds us.

While we may think of infographics as a relatively recent development to make sense of the immense amount of data available on the Web, they actually are rooted in the 19th century.

Two major developments led to a breakthrough in infographics: advances in lithography and chromolithography, which made it possible to experiment with different types of visual representations, and the availability of vast amounts of data, including from the American Census as well as natural scientists, who faced heaps of information about the natural world, such as daily readings of wind, rainfall, and temperature spanning decades.

But such data was really only useful to the extent that it could be rendered in visual form. And this is why innovation in cartography and graphic visualization mattered so greatly...

Via Lauren Moss, Beth Kanter

The shape of a state can greatly impact the political cohesion of a country as well as it's economic viability.  While this is obviously a fictitious map, it draws our attention to the logistic difficulties that confront Palestine with the Israelis controlling crucial transportation access points and corridors.   

 

Questions to Ponder:  How is this a 'persuasive map?' What are some of the geographic impacts of this fragmentation on Palestine? For Israel?

 

Tags: cartography, MiddleEast, political, states, territoriality, unit 4 political.

Video. Cartographers at National Geographic discuss how they select an appropriate map projection for the September 2012 magazine map supplement.

 

There is no one perfect map projection that fits all circumstances and situations. Think a situation in which this map projection would be an ideal way to represent the Earth and another situation where it is an incredibly limited perspective. 

 

Tags: cartography, K12, geospatial, NationalGeographic, water. 

MapMaker Kit. Download, print, and assemble maps of the United States in a variety of sizes. The mega map occupies a large wall, or can be used on the floor.

 

Have you every wanted to create a giant map but aren't sure if you can logistically pull it off?  The National Geographic's MapMaker kit is just that, a kit for you to create wall maps from a standard printer and tile them together.  The assembly itself is a great spatial thinking and fun exercise for students (and there are large world maps as well). 

 

Tags: NationalGeographic, cartography, mapping, K12.

I typically would not link to a Wikipedia article, but this one is not only well crafted, but represents an academic collaborative work in its own right.  This a fabulous cartographic gallery that explores the history of geographical thought through the ages (as archived in the earliest maps).  Enjoy the maps, and even more, the intellectual context that this article provides for each of these images.      

There are many amazing examples of artists who turn to cartography and geography for inspiration. Whether through the lens of a camera, paint, ...

 

This series of cartographically-inspired art works changes how we look at maps.  Some of these artists also make us think of places that are on the Earth as explicitly "mappable" features.  I think the Google Maps push-pin in the city center is my favorite.  Which do you prefer? 

 

Tags: art, mapping, place, cartography.