At issue here is not just how these systems might be developed and employed, but also how they crosscut cartography's core concern of abstracting, simplifying and symbolizing real-world phenomena and relationships. Cartography is a process of interpretation and representation in which the map maker draws attention to critical relationships and patterns. 8.2 Animation and other new dimensions Mapping systems allow cartographers to draft as easily in three dimensions as two. Furthermore, many mapping and drafting systems are clones or close cousins of those used for animation. Such capabilities present cartographers with interesting opportunities to model temporal relationships, reconstruct past environments, or simulate complex processes.
Tremendous innovation seems arrayed along the horizons of cartography.
Last revised October 6 1999.