Cartography

Cartography was earlier defined as the science, art and technology of map making. In 1991 Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) adopted in 1991 the definition "Cartography is a discipline dealing with communication of geo-spatial data as structured and need-based information". Advances in Photogrammetry and air photography, remote sensing and computer grpahics in the last gew decades have brought enormous new capabilities of mapping and opened fresh vistas for the field. Cartography as a formal discipline is barely 150 years old. It has , how ever, come of age is growing very rapidly.j The advent of of the computer has revolutionised cartographic thinking and practice, as it has most other walks of life.

The cartographic instincts were inherent even among the early civilization men who could portray their living palces and extent of settlement, with roads, drains, etc. Cartography as a science was influenced by the famous Greek scientist Plolemy, who was a noted astronomer, mathematician and geographer. With the development of lithography and printing technology in the 18th century the use of maps in various disciplines increased.

The field of cartography is very extensive. The growth of cartography over the last several decades has been immense. The most significant aspect of this growth has been in the field of computer assisted cartography, cartographic data bases, GIS and collection and management of spatial data through space borne acquisition systems. Modern cartography is perceived as an incisive versatile information communication technology of high potency mapping, with tremendous capabilities of wide ranging applications encompassing the entire gambit of real world problems. Cartography and mapping sciences are in the state of rapid change. The processes fo change have consequences from the level of the human individuals to the nation and beyond. The technological revolution in cartograpy has opened up new dimensions and has improved phenomenally it potentialities for effective use in solving complex natural resources planning problems. With the advent of space technology, satellite imageries has opened new vistas for their use for monitoring natural resources.

Articles on Cartography

	Expanding Images of Earth
	The View from Above
	Cartography History (Sequence of Events)