The Many Uses of Maps: The Producer at the Center

Abstract

Most of us encounter a map, or some sort of cartographic device, on nearly a daily basis. This is true whether or not we are conscious of the occurrence. We may be planning or imagining our travels, or conceptualizing a project, but we somehow interact with the map, whether written or visual. When we read an heroic novel, we track the journey. When we hear the news of wars or weather, the map functions as a communicator and guide. The purpose of this essay is to give an overview of map uses, but not strictly from the vantage of the individual use or user. The producer of the map -- whether an individual or group, whether a financier or artisan -- is at the center of this conversation. The producer will likely have planned uses for a map, and may themselves be a user, but without their construct the map does not exist.