Six years ago, I took the reigns of editorship of Cartographic Perspectives from Fritz Kessler’s very capable hands. We were aware CP had reached a crossroads, and that taking a new path would involve traversing uncharted territory. Since then, I have taken pride in the great strides which CP has made, including initiating an online submission and review system, providing a web site for immediate access to published materials, and opening up access to all current and past articles.
Fritz’s sagest words to me, however, were not about the next steps in the journey, but related to the people who would help me along the way. He impressed upon me the opportunity that the CP editorship offered to reach out to cartographers known for their research, critique, artistry, and leadership. This was indeed a golden chance, and the input and contributions of many colleagues have enhanced our journal in innumerable ways.
This very section of the journal serves as a wonderful means for some of our colleagues to contribute. The typical title of this section, “Letter from the Editor” has been revised in other issues to “Letter from the Guest Editors(s).” Over the last six years we have had three special issues, with prestigious Guest Editors Aileen Buckley and Bernhard Jenny (Aesthetics), Anthony Robinson and Robert Roth (Cognition, Behavior, and Representation), and David Fairbairn (Cartographic Education). Their efforts have done much to enhance our journal by focusing on themes central to cartographic research and practice, while simultaneously lightening my load.
This same section has also been the venue for our annual “Letter from the President.” I appreciate the contributions from past presidents Tanya Buckingham, Erik Steiner, Neil Allen, Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso, and Alex Tait. Their views reflect the strong leadership and vision of all of the NACIS officers I’ve worked with, past and present: Martha Bostwick, , Lou Cross, Daniel Huffman, Jenny Marie Johnson, Eliana Macdonald, Susan Peschel, and Robert Roth. They, along with the dynamic NACIS Board of Directors, have always been forward thinking.
The past president missing from the list above is, of course, Amy Griffin, who went above and beyond this last year by agreeing to serve as Co-Editor of CP while also continuing in her role as the President of NACIS. I greatly enjoyed sharing journalistic responsibilities with Amy, and know CP has a very bright and successful future in her extremely capable hands.
Together, Amy and I have rounded up a great collection of articles for CP 82. In the peer-reviewed section, Salla Multimäki, Andreas Hall, and Paula Ahonen-Rainio of Aalto University in Helsinki propose a novel approach to help users better comprehend animations of datasets comprised of a large number of points by use of temporal classes for phenomena showing increasing, decreasing, and steady intensities.
The cartographic collection featured in this issue is the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division at the New York Public Library. Kate Cordes walks us through this collection, from early maps in Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Maior to recent digital initiatives like the NYC Space/Time Directory. This is followed by an article on cartographic education by Alison Feeney, where she makes a case for the importance of peer-evaluations in helping students to learn cartographic design principles.
If you enjoyed the Tangible Map Exhibit at NACIS 2015 in Minneapolis as much as I did, you will be delighted by our Visual Fields piece. Three of its organizers and contributors—Matt Dooley, Jake Coolidge, and Caroline Rose—discuss the maps exhibited by several artists and cartographers. Thanks to stunning photography by Dylan Moriarty, Charles Rader, and Matt Dooley, you are sure to feel like you can reach out and touch these maps all over again!
The works of three reviewers round out CP 72. The first is Mark Denil’s review of Essentials of Earth Imaging for GIS by Lawrence Fox III and published by Esri Press. The second work is Russell Kirby’s review of two books in the series Mapping the Nation, also by Esri Press. The last review is Karen Trifonoff’s review of Stitching the World by longtime NACIS member Judith Tyner. Be sure to read the review, or better yet buy the book, if you are interested in learning more about embroidered maps and silken globes!
As the sun sets on my time as Co-Editor, I’d like to take one more opportunity to thank my current and former Assistant Editors Daniel Huffman, Laura McCormick, and Rob Roth, as well as all present and past Section Editors and members of the Editorial Board. Additionally, I’d like to express my gratitude to all those who have agreed to review manuscripts and drafts: I am in your debt. Finally, thanks to so many of our NACIS community and others beyond for your maps and writings. With contributions from across academia, industry, consulting and government, CP remains unique among cartographic journals, while remaining accessible to map lovers everywhere.
Patrick Kennelly Co-Editor of CP