astronomy

History of Cartography Project

History of Cartography Project is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand History of Cartography Project rather than just read about it. In short: The History of Cartography Project is a publishing project in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It was founded by David Woodward in 1981.

Key takeaways

History of Cartography Project belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect History of Cartography Project to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of History of Cartography Project from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The History of Cartography Project is a publishing project in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It was founded by David Woodward in 1981. Woodward directed the project until his death in August 2004; Matthew H. Edney became director in July 2005.

The History of Cartography The Project works to prepare The History of Cartography, a multivolume series established by Woodward and Brian Harley. This effort is funded by generous grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, various private foundations, and numerous individuals. The six volumes of the History, all published by the University of Chicago Press, are:

1. Harley, J. B. and David Woodward. (eds.). Cartography in Prehistoric, Ancient, and Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean. 1987. ISBN 9780226316338 2.1. Harley, J. B. and David Woodward. (eds.). Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies. 1992. ISBN 9780226316352 2.2. Harley, J. B. and David Woodward. (eds.). Cartography in the Traditional East and Southeast Asian Societies. 1994. ISBN 9780226316376 2.3. Woodward, David and G. Malcolm Lewis. (eds.). Cartography in the Traditional African, American, Arctic, Australian, and Pacific Societies. 1998. ISBN 9780226907284 3. Woodward, David. (ed.). Cartography in the European Renaissance. 2007. In two parts. ISBN 9780226907321 4. Edney, Matthew H. and Mary S. Pedley. (eds.). Cartography in the European Enlightenment. In preparation for publication in December 2019. In two parts. 5. Kain, Roger J. P. (ed.). Cartography in the Nineteenth Century. In preparation. In two parts. 6. Monmonier, Mark. Cartography in the Twentieth Century. 2015. In two parts. ISBN 9780226534695

History

Harley and Woodward's initial scheme was for a four-volume series, each volume to contain several full-length chapters by different authors, all to be published by 1992. This plan was followed for Volumes 1 through 3, but as the scope of the project grew Volume 2 was divided into three physical parts, and Volume 3 into two parts. The growth of Volume 3 to have been larger than the entire series as originally conceived demonstrated how unfeasible the established format would be for what was now planned as the final three volumes, dealing with the modern period. Woodward therefore decided, after much consultation, to turn the volumes into interpretive encyclopedias. In July 2011 it began to be made available online as PDF files.

See also History of cartography – Evolution of the art and science of mapmaking

References

Further reading Harley, J. B.; Woodward, David (1983), "The History of Cartography Project: A Note on Its Organization and Assumptions", Technical Papers of the Annual Meeting of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, 43: 580–89 Woodward, David (2001), "Origin and History of The History of Cartography", Plantejaments i Objectius d'una Història Universal de la Cartografia / Approaches and Challenges in a Worldwide History of Cartography, Barcelona: Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya, pp. 23–29

External links History of Cartography Project University of Chicago Press website for the History

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with History of Cartography Project

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what History of Cartography Project claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to History of Cartography Project before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about History of Cartography Project ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of History of Cartography Project

In research: History of Cartography Project appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses History of Cartography Project in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: History of Cartography Project is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Encyclopedias of history, History book series, History of cartography, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for History of Cartography Project outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study History of Cartography Project in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what History of Cartography Project means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain History of Cartography Project out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is History of Cartography Project in simple terms?

The History of Cartography Project is a publishing project in the Department of Geography at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It was founded by David Woodward in 1981.

Why does History of Cartography Project matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study History of Cartography Project?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on History of Cartography Project.