6 MaP Design
In this book the terms
cartography and
mapmaking will be used for creating
maps of any type by any method, and GIS will be used when a dedicated GIS is
required.
what Is a map?
Surprisingly, this is a question for which there is no easy answer. We all “know” what
a map is, but that definition can vary from person to person and culture to culture.
A general definition from 40 years ago was, “A graphic representation of all or a part
of the earth’s surface drawn to scale upon a plane.” However, questions arose. What
about the moon and other extraterrestrial features? If it looks like a map but lacks an
indication of its scale, is it a map? Can an annotated satellite image (one with names
of features printed on it) be considered a map? Is a globe a map? What about 3-D
representations? Purists would say that a “map” with no scale is a diagram and that
3-D representations are models. The moon and planets could be handled by inserting
“or other celestial body” into the basic definition.
But then one finds that some non-Western cultures have made representations of
place that do not fit the “official” definition, but still function as maps. Navajo sand
paintings, Australian Aboriginal bark paintings, and Marshall Island stick charts
(Figure 1.3) all function as maps. There are also oral maps, mental maps, and perfor-
mance maps. Where do these fit in the definition?
J. H. Andrews compiled a list of 321 definitions of “map” made from 1694 to
1996 (Andrews, 2009). Obviously, this is a subject that can be, and is, debated end-
lessly in seminars, conferences, and over coffee. It is easy to be flippant, but the defini-
tion of map sometimes determines what is “worthy” of study by cartographers.
For the purpose of this book I will use a functional definition of a map— that is,
if it has a map function, it is a map—and I will define
map as “a graphic representa-
