Why do we need to map everything?
So that we know what’s there is a good answer, forewarned is forearmed.
Why map everything?
Because we can.
When people study they are encouraged to make mind maps, the ability to visualise things makes them much more real to us.
I’m a map fan, cartography had a hey day back when we were taking to the seas sailing into the unknown, but then mapping became somewhat forgotten.
Today we are in such an exciting moment, a new era of exploration from the depths of space, to the depths of our oceans, technology is now enabling us to map more than ever before.
Maps are great things, they have many reasons for us to make them;
A) they help us visualise our environment.
B) They help us plan ahead, to know what we can build where, they can help us to know what animal/plant habitats are around, aiding conservation.
C) they can look great, very aesthetically pleasing
D) We can find old craft that mayhave sunk, we can find fossils, we can find oil/gas/mierals, ie:-useful resources and the better maps we have means we can mine those resources more responsibly.
I enjoy computer graphics, I do not buy too many games, the current “gaming genre” dissapoints to a great degree.
But, I did immediatley buy L.A.Noire, a game which physically mapped out L.A. from yesteryear, the game makers went to the records and mapped out the city as it was years ago.
What a great thing to do!
In Star Trek the next generation they have developed holosuites. We don’t yet have holosuites, but as I play Playstation Home, a free to access 3d virtual world, I see tremendous opportunity, how fantastical for me, who hasn’t been to the ocean floor to be able to walk around in that environment recreated! What if I could walk on a recreated Martian landscape!
The advantages mapping could bring, when we are ready to build Moon bases, perhaps we could first practise, by using virtual 3d worlds, & we all know to say a huge thank you to Sir Patrick Moore who spent time mapping the Moon, his maps later used by NASA to aid thier Moon landings, we could be using Sir Patrick’s maps to recreate a virtual lunar landscape.
We are at a new age of cartography, we have tremendous opportunity to map everything that we can, I sincerely hope that we make the very most that we can of these opportunities.
Adrian
adriands3's Blog 