It is, once more, my great honor and privilege to write the editorial introduction for this 103rd issue of Cartographic Perspectives. An increase in the number of articles submitted to the journal has yielded a particularly long issue at 114 pages, one that features three research articles, entries in the Practical Cartographer’s Corner and Visual Fields sections, and an assortment of book reviews from across the spectrum of cartography. It is my hope that any reader can find one (or hopefully several) topics of interest in this issue.
Before introducing the specific entries, I’d like to take a moment to mention a few changes coming to Cartographic Perspectives in the near future. First, we have developed and are currently finalizing a policy on the use of generative artificial intelligence tools when writing, reviewing, and editing for our journal. Second, in light of the tragic and much too soon passing of NACIS board member and regular CP contributor, Carl Sack, we are in the process of developing a policy for how memorial pieces for members of our community can be published. Finally, a formal policy on retractions and corrigenda is in the works. Assistant Editor Daniel Huffman and I have been working on these policies with the input and approval of the Editorial Board and they are intended to bring Cartographic Perspectives in line with other journals which have formal policies on these matters; these policies will help ensure that CP continues to serve the entire NACIS community moving forward. If you have any questions, concerns, or contributions related to the above, please do reach out to me directly. As soon as each policy is finalized, it will be added to our website.
In this issue, the first of our research articles, by Krisztián Kerkovits, is a wonderfully technical exploration of minimizing distortion for oblique map projections. Building on the work of Frank Canters (2002), Kerkovits walks readers through both the underlying math and the design choices that went into the production of a new map projection. In the issue’s second article, A. Terry Bahill works to date a series of maps depicting the route Sir Francis Drake took when circumnavigating the globe in the sixteenth century. In addition to a fascinating, exhaustive exercise in deductive reasoning and historical map analysis, what Bahill has written is also “an experiment” in which he details how papers like his “could be written based solely on information shown on charts and maps that are freely available on the Internet” (18). The implications of this moving forward are fascinating and worth considering as we increasingly access archives digitally in a post-pandemic era. Finally, our third research article, by Chrisopher H. Roosevelt, is another historical examination of maps, this time of the US Navy’s aerial photography in Türkiye during the Cold War. Roosevelt blends historical maps with flight logs and available technologies to recreate and examine a set of recently discovered aerial photographs, tying them to the interests and intents of the US and Türkiye during that period. The differences in approaches taken between Roosevelt and Bahill speak to the breadth and value of CP as a journal. Whereas Bahill writes that he and his collaborators strictly avoided papers that “tried to interpret maps as vehicles for the exercise of power” like “the plague” (46), Roosevelt, drawing on Harley (2001), begins from the perspective that “cartography and its products have always been potent discursive tools in politics and power” (53). While I think any reader with a passive familiarity with my own work will know that my personal views lie with the latter, I call attention to this difference because—to me—it speaks to the vibrancy and importance of CP as the journal of NACIS. Cartographic Perspectives represents the full spectrum of cartography and cartographic interest and, within that, there will be disagreement, different focuses, and debates. These make our journal, our community, and our field stronger.
In the Practical Cartographer’s Corner, Bernhard Jenny offers a guide to using Eduard for ambient occlusion, along with some general tips for when, and how, to use the technique. The appendix to this entry may be of particular interest to some readers as it walks through the algorithm used to prevent “valley bottoms from becoming excessively dark” in flat areas (81). Meanwhile, our Visual Fields entry this issue is a reflection upon and recounting of the development of Eric Theise’s A Synesthete’s Atlas. While the technical side and developments behind Theise’s performance are fascinating, I was personally struck by the influence of experimental film on the project; a connection I had previously not made, perhaps to my own detriment. Book reviews this issue include volumes 2 and 3 of Women and GIS, Airline Maps: A Century of Art and Design, The Lost Subways of North America: A Cartographic Guide to the Past, Present, and What Might Have Been, and the fourth edition of Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization. Rebecca Ramsay finds the Women in GIS collections engaging and insightful, helping to highlight not only that GIS is hardly a field set in stone, but that the many trailblazers that have come before us have built a “welcoming and supportive professional community” for women (98). Lily Houtman is more torn on Airline Maps, on the one hand finding it a potentially a source of “unique cartographic inspiration” (102); but, on the other, wishing for a more in depth engagement with the topic. Reviewing The Lost Subways of North America, Matthew Buchanan calls attention to the “compelling and interesting” (103) color maps of subways—built and imagined—that support each chapter of the work; while noting that the book lacks coverage of all of North America, instead focusing only on the United States and Canada. The last entry of this issue finds Daniel. G. Cole recommending Slocum et al.’s new edition of Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization as “required reading for every GIS/cartographic program across academia” (111). I’m not sure I’ve seen such a ringing endorsement in a book review previously.
As I conclude this introductory letter, I want to once more thank everyone who has contributed to this issue—the authors, the reviewers, the editorial team, and the NACIS community for its continued support. Cartographic Perspectives, a truly open-access journal covering the breadth of cartography, remains a gem. I am thankful to have been entrusted with its care.
Best,
Jim Thatcher
Oregon State University