Mapping in the Modern World MAPPING THE FUTURE James Bow Crabtree Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com
PERSONALIZING MAPS Advances in technology have changed how people use maps Individual users can create maps that show the specific information they need at any time In the past maps were physical items They were drawn or printed usually on paper and published for people to buy Many people bought and used a copy of the same map even if they all used it for a different purpose Information that was useful to a car driver might not be useful to someone walking in the wilderness for example The driver 4
Since they appeared in 2014 smartwatches have allowed users to view maps that match their exact location might want the map only to examine the roads A hiker would use the map to look at hiking trails or geographical features Most new maps are digital They are created and stored on computers That makes them far easier to change or update than maps on printed paper It is also possible for people to customize maps to show exactly the information they want in whatever location they happen to be in Satellite Technology One of the key steps in making digital maps possible was the use of satellites In 1959 the United States launched Transit This system of satellites orbited Earth It used triangulation to pinpoint the location of United States Navy ships around the world By 1993 the United States had 24 satellites orbiting at around 12,600 miles 20,277 km above the Earth The satellites could accurately map any point on Earth’s surface This view of the world at night was created by NASA’s Suomi satellite The main lights show areas that are more densely populated 5
