Abstracts
Brief history of Old Aberdeen
Chris Croly
A brief look at the development of Old Aberdeen. From the problem of the name 'Old' Aberdeen, through the development of the Cathedral, University and creation of Old Aberdeen as a Burgh of Barony.
The Land Reform Act, The Code and the Core Path Plan
Bob Reid
Bob Reid will talk about the antecedents and the continuing rationale behind the Land Reform Act, now nearly 4 years since it was approved by the Scottish Parliament and received its Royal Assent. He will speak about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and how this is being promulgated through education and the media (delegates from Scotland will have seen the TV adverts). He will speak about Core Path Planning and how this is the final ingredient in a new arrangement for access in Scotland, which diverges from the CROW Act arrangements south of the Border.
Coastal change in the Maldives
Sue Dawson
Patterns of coastal change are influenced by changes in relative and also by extreme events. For the Maldives, an attempt is made to show that the popular notion of a dramatic rise in recent sea level linked to 'global warming' is much more complex. This discussion highlights the difficulties associated with the measurement of relative sea level change using tide gauges. In recent times, however, the most extensive coastal flooding and greatest coastal damage in the Maldives was caused by the Boxing Day tsunami in the Indian Ocean during 2004. This event highlights the difficulties faced by planners in trying to quantify coastal flood risk.
Relative Sea Level Changes around Scotland's Coastline
Alastair Dawson
Changes in sea level around Scotland's coastline are relative. They depend on the one hand upon ongoing vertical patterns of crustal rebound and subsidence (measured in mm/yr) caused by the loading and unloading of the last Scottish ice sheet. They also depend on recent changes in the volume of water stored in the world's oceans (also measured in mm/yr) The volume of ocean water is also influenced by changes in the average temperature of the water – causing it to expand and/or contract. The arguments linked to predictions of future changes in relative sea level are associated with the notion that future climate changes may be associated with an increase in ocean volume (linked to melting ice) and also that increased air temperatures will lead to an expansion of ocean water. The paper addresses these issues and considers how tide gauge records for Scotland can contribute to our understanding of these processes.
Terrain 3D modeling for the assessment of coastal change
Cristina Gomez
Coastal dunes and soft beaches are valuable dynamic systems of Scotland's natural heritage. To assess the rate of change during the last decades in some representative Scottish beach and dune systems, digital elevation models (DEMs) were created from aerial photography. Two sets of metric photos at least twenty years apart were available for each site to create pairs of DEMs for each location. These models, in raster form, were used to generate comparisons of the coastal geomorphology at different dates in a two and three dimensional approach. Planimetric change in the position of relevant lines such as the zero height Above Ordnance Datum (AOD), the high water mark of ordinal spring tide (HWMOST) or the vegetation boundary allowed the identification of sand bar development and the change in shoreline position. Volumetric analysis was carried out to assess the alteration of dunes, identify blowouts and quantify rates of erosion and accretion. The availability of sediments was interpreted as a key factor in the evolution of most systems.
New Panoramas of the Cairngorms
Aaron Lawton
For people involved in outdoor recreation, access and tourism, there is a bewildering array of mapping options to help visitors with understanding, orientating and navigating outdoor environments. When considering how best to help people appreciate the spatial relationships, landscapes and essential qualities of the Cairngorms National Park, the options ranged from topographic maps, computer models and pictorial illustrations, to bronze relief models and abstract works of art. Of all the options, the Cairngorms National Park Authority were most inspired by the great European (and to a lesser extent North American) tradition of landscape panorama painting, exemplified by the work of Heinrich Berann. This presentation will give an overview of the rationale, production process and end products of a project to commission five panoramas of the Cairngorms National Park by the world renowned panorama artist Heinz Vielkind.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of 2D vs. 3D Trailhead Maps (A map user study conducted at Zion National Park)
Tom Patterson and David Schobesberger
Both 2D and 3D maps have their advantages for trailhead mapping—the maps hikers see on outdoor sign boards before setting off on a hike. Many cartographers assume that inexperienced map users can more easily understand 3D maps because they present the landscape in a realistic manner and mimic what people see while on a trail. One of the undisputed advantages of 2D maps is that they require less time and money to produce than 3D maps. These factors call up the central question: are 3D maps really more understandable and are they worth the extra expense to make? Seeking to answer this, we conducted a user study at Zion National Park, Utah, evaluating the effectiveness of 2D hiking maps compared to 3D trailhead maps for communicating of trail information to park visitors. Collection of data occurred on two popular hiking trails from a large sample of park visitors who had gone on a hike. The user study aimed to find out which map type imprints itself better as a mental map in the mind of hikers, communicating geographic information faster and more effectively. The paper will give an overview of the design and implementation of the user study and will introduce the key findings.
3D visualization in oil exploration
Mark Douglas
Powerful systems for the integration and display of information have been around in the oil industry for a number of years. The integration of maps and information allow for the assessment of oil and gas prospects providing key information for multi million dollar decisions to be made. Much of this work is done in 3D to allow the user to interact with multi layered information, simple 2D maps are combined with 3D seismic and well information. These systems require an understanding of cartographic reference systems to deliver the correct information and many link directly with Arc GIS applications. This presentation will give an overview of the kinds of work done in the oil and gas companies in these systems and how this links to the larger world
Micro mapping for kayakers
Nick Tasker
Every time it appears as if we have created every type of map ever required, technology or life itself takes a new twist and new mapping products are needed. In recent years we have gone through paper maps, GIS products, digital maps, virtual maps and still new genres of our art emerge as cartographic tools becomes more assessable. This paper explores the specific needs and design considerations of a tiny group of users, who want tiny mapping solutions. Sea and touring kayakers have limited space and want tiny maps but the market is not large enough to warrant huge investment for such bespoke mapping applications. This situation is not unique: an end user wants a map, but the projected returns are not worth the cartographic effort to fulfil the need, however times are changing and unique mapping solutions can be produced if we learn new cartographic perspectives.
Deriving and representing a heighted route network for wheelchair users
Iain Wright
The presentation considers the effectiveness of current 'mobility maps' produced for wheelchair users. Recent developments in the availability of high resolution raster Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and vector digital road network data provide the opportunity to derive better quality gradient information. Existing mobility maps typically visualize gradients using chevrons to show maximum gradients on hills but there is no consistent approach. The presentation outlines an innovative approach to using the chevron symbol to show both maximum gradient and effort, using Newton's 2nd law of motion, in a way that wheelchair users can readily relate to.
Prototype maps showing effort and gradient produced for hilly urban and rural areas will be demonstrated. The approaches used to test the effectiveness of the maps with wheelchair users will be discussed, and the results outlined.
Building the global map: filling the gaps
Ed Parsons
The new Map Maker tool, and the challenges of finding good quality geospatial data outside of the "west".
OSM cycle maps
Andy Allan
The OSM Cycle Map is an iconic custom rendering of OpenStreetMap data. Instead of the typical driver-orientated cartography of most online maps, the rendering is orientated towards cyclists showing cycle route networks, emphasizing paths over main roads and displaying contours and relevant points of interest to cyclists around the world.
This talk will cover some of the challenges of dealing with the world's leading crowd-sourced geodatabase, and the opportunities that an inherently free-form database gives to unexpected uses. Some of the technical details behind automatically rendering world-wide maps will also be discussed.
The map is available online at http://www.gravitystorm.co.uk/osm/ and as a secondary layer on the main OSM website at http://openstreetmap.org .
Interactive thematic mapping software with dynamically-linked, charts and tables for the web - The InstantAtlas solution
John Bartholomew
The web offers exciting new technological possibilities for effective delivery of statistical data in thematic maps. Developed in Scotland, InstantAtlas is now well-established around the world within government agencies and public health authorities. It is ideal for presenting statistics in a spatial context at different levels of geography to internal and external audiences. You can take data from a spreadsheet, add your map files, publish an InstantAtlas stand-alone dynamic report and place it on your web site in minutes. Applied examples of different presentation templates will be shown. The software will be demonstrated to produce a live report.
An Internet journey planner for cyclists
Tom Burslem
Internet journey planning for cyclists has a number of challenges that are not met by routing engines for other modes of transport. Transport Direct and Cycling England are in partnership to create a journey planner specifically designed for cyclists, and pilot projects are ongoing in Manchester and Merseyside.
CycleCity Guides handle the data collection, which involves a thorough audit of cycling infrastructure. Using this as a base we then suggest a network of unsigned routes to produce a comprehensive network. The data we collect has a number of other potential uses, including route auditing by local councils, or the production of cycling maps.
Making better maps with CloudMade
Andy Allan
CloudMade develop innovative tools that are widening participation in the map making process. Producing high quality cartographic output has, until now, been the domain of a handful of skilled professionals who are able to conquer the barriers to entry such as purchasing detailed datasets and specialised software and who posses specialist skills and experience. This talk will demonstrate some of the tools that CloudMade are developing to enable cartographers to quickly and easily produce high-quality web maps from OpenStreetMap data, without having to learn the technical in-and-outs of the whole process.ArcGIS9's cartographic features.
ArcGIS9's cartographic features
Paul Hardy
With the recent ArcGIS 9.2 and 9.3 releases, ESRI has introduced a range of cartographic capabilities aimed squarely at map design and production. These 'cartographic representations' use the GIS geodatabase for storage of the geography and the representation rules, but also for 'overrides' to allow the human cartographer to overrule the machine for particular features. The resulting system blends the power, rigour and automation of database-driven mapping, with the freedom of expression needed to obtain cartographic quality. Paul Hardy will explain and demonstrate these powerful new cartographic capabilities.
Mapping from the Cradle to the Grave
Danny Dorling
"What use are Mercator's North Poles and Equators,
Tropics, Zones and Meridian Lines?"
So the Bellman would cry: and the crew would reply,
"They are merely conventional signs!" (*)
Just as in literacy there are grammarians; in cartography there are traditionalists who would have us retain our conventional signs and structures. A map is a map is a map, they say; we all know what shape Britain is, or France, or America; and on any decent map they should stay that way. However, there are occasions when conventions need breaking. In this talk maps from two new atlases are presented, both of which eschew conventional signs. What they have in common are concerns about mapping people from the cradle to the grave.
(*) From the Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll, quoted in pages 200-201 of: Truss, Lynne. (2003),East, Shoots & Leaves, London, Profile Books.
A century of glacier cartography in western Canada
Roger Wheate
The first Canadian topographic maps date from the late nineteenth century, close to the end of the Little Ice Age when glaciers reached a 'post-glacial' maximum. Since then, most glaciers have continually retreated and at a faster rate over the last 20 years. We have used a variety of techniques to map the change in glacier extents and elevation of the ice surface and thus to estimate mass wastage. These include the analysis of historic maps and the oblique photos used to make them, specialty glacier maps, sequences of aerial photography and more recently satellite imagery. This talk will illustrate these methods, the challenges involved and describe the history and progress in mapping the receding glaciers in Canada's western provinces.
End Noise maps for Scotland
David Palmer
In 2006 the Scottish Government (then Scottish Executive) published the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006 that transposed the requirements of the European Parliament and Council's Directive for Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise 2002/49/EC into Scottish law. In order to comply with the directive, and the regulations, it was necessary to produce first round noise maps of major road, rail and air transport noise sources, and both transport and industrial noise maps for agglomerations of populations greater than 250, 000. Accordingly, the Scottish Government' appointed noise consultant's, Hamilton and McGregor, successfully produced these maps for September 2007. This talk will provide an overview of the Scottish END noise process
Tribunal Mapping in New Zealand
Max Oulton
The Waitangi Tribunal was established in 1975 to investigate and make right any claims by Iwi (Tribal groups) to a Government that breached promises made in the Treaty of Waitangi, signed on February 6 1840. Research for these claims is being done by teams of geographers and historians who pore over old court records, maps and documents to ensure all the historical details are correct, now that the land is owned and occupied by others. Problems of comparing verbal descriptions to the written, old boundaries along rivers, coastlines and ridgelines are also considered. More than 1000 claims have been lodged with the tribunal and a number have been settled.
Over the past 25 years I have worked with the Waitangi Tribunal as a contract cartographer (www.waitangitribunal.govt.nz/). This paper is in the area of modern historical mapping and will deal with the process of how some of these breaches have affected the claimants, the issues involved with drawing modern maps using late 19th century information and tying all this into today's mapping systems.
Supranational cartographic styles in European 1:50 000 topographic mapping
Alex Kent
Why aren't our maps like theirs? With cartographic conventions in topographic mapping, such as the use of colour, one would expect a high degree of similarity in the way national mapping organizations choose to describe their national landscape. This presentation describes an investigation to explore the similarities and differences in cartographic style across Europe. It explains how a typology was constructed to classify and analyse the symbologies of official 1:50 000 maps from 20 countries and how supranational styles were identified. By exploring these findings, the concept of cartographic language is revisited as a vehicle for understanding stylistic diversity
From here to Timbuktu : the calligraphic carto-antics of an old cartographer's take on mapping the history of Islam! (or 'The cartographic challenges of mapping the 4th Dimension the other way round')
Andrew Currie
Currently engaged on the production of an Atlas of Islamic History, primarily aimed at providing a worthy publication for the English and Arabic educational and general reader, I wish to reflect on the particular cartographic challenges that this complex project presents.From my experience of working on such an exciting and timely atlas publication I recognise that mapping the 4th dimension, especially when it involves the highly sensitive history of Islam, requires special consideration at every stage of the production process. My short and informal talk will attempt to highlight the specific nature of these challenges from the initial research and data validation, editorial and design issues as well as production techniques, all in pursuit of providing not only a collection of well documented maps but also an illuminating and readily accessible graphic presentation of Islamic history for today's readers in the Arab World as well as in the West.