Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-27
AVIATION SPURS
MAPPING PROJECTS
Or. Bowie Tells Conference
Topography Aids to Develop
Natural Resources.

The surveyors transit and rod and
the airplane are supplanting the COW
cred wagon and the pick and shovel OF
the early pioneer in present-day open
ing up OF the unsettled areas Of North
and South America. according to DR..
william Bowie of Washington. speaking
in Mexico City at the opening session OF
the Pan-American Institute of Geog-
raphy and History.
DR.. Bowie. one Of three delegates from
the United States to the first meeting
OF the newly organized institute, was
designated by the National Geographic
Society. He Is chief of the Division OF
Geodesy of the United States Coast and
Geodetic Survey and world-famouS
authority on isostasy.
Chart Potential Resources.
Maps which give precise locations.
elevations and other topographic In
formation constitute the framework OF
further surveys of forest, mineral. plant,
animal, waterpower and other forms of
potential wealth, the speaker explained.
Therefore, the engineers and other
leaders In industry are making their
wants known in regard to topographic
mapping" he continued. 1T has truly.
been said that only a rich nation can
afford to develop Its natural resources
and its industries without previously
having executed the topographic sur
veying and mapping Thus are avoid
ed wasteful mistakes of the past in
road building and railway construction
by routes which are circuitouS and in
areas which have not the latent re-
sources or are toe far from markets
to be profitable.
Institutes Map Program.
A major program Of the institute is
the coordination of topographic sur
veys already made independently. and
stimulation Of mapmaking programs Of
the governments themselves.
Another imperative demand for map
ping Of hitherto unexplored areas arises
from the commercial airplane lines. DR..
Bowie said, for airplanes now are using
routes over tracts which know neither
the highway nor the steel rail.
We have heard much in recent
decades Of the application Of scientific
principles to agriculture and other great
industries in exchange Of goods and In
communication" DR.. Bowie said: But
science can only go 4 certain distance
toward lettering the condition Of hui
mainly and making civilization nohler
without having geographic facts. IL is
here that the geographer must supple
ment the work Of the physicist. the
chemist and the engineer. For without
geographical information and back
ground the other sciences cannot be eff
f:iently employed in the utilization OF
the resources which Nature has given
abundantly 10 the nations Of the world.
u. S. Not Thoroughly Mapped.
THE oficials of the National Geo
graphic Society have expressed fire.
quertly. and do on this occasion through
me, their opinion that civilization will
be greatly advanced by an early COM
pletion Of the mapping Of the world.
I'VE all should like to see the day
when there is an adequate Typographical
map covering the area Of each OF the
countries In the western Hemisphere.
Much mapping has been done in my
country, but only 10 per cent OF the
United States has as yet been topo-
graphically surveyed and many OF the
map sheets are inadequate to meet the
modern needs of agriculture, mining, de.
velopment Of hydroelectric power ana
extension Of transportation and COM
munication systems"