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2008 proved to be the year that cartography boomed, according to an article from the Boston Globe. Here’s a relevant excerpt from that article:

“The past year saw an explosion of such maps, portraying everything from earthquake devastation to voting patterns to international reading habits – often made on the fly, by citizens, in response to events. Like their medieval predecessors, the most interesting maps are often useless for getting from point A to point B. But if you want to understand what happened in 2008, they are an excellent way to navigate the year.”

In addition to highlighting CNN’s “Magic Wall” and other more consumer/academic uses of cartography, the article highlights key uses for intelligence and defense:

“Among the many maps published this year of Iraq or Afghanistan was an online animation showing the pattern of insurgent attacks in each country over the past five years. As it plays, the attacks sprout, pox-like, faster and faster. But important differences emerge: In Iraq they reach a climax just before the 2007 surge, while in Afghanistan, they go on proliferating.”

And in terms of mapping and the attacks in Mumbai:

“The November terrorist attacks in Mumbai were not just shocking but bewildering to follow, and maps became a way for people to track the event as it unfolded. Within hours of the first shootings, Google Maps renderings of the claw-like Mumbai peninsula were up online with tags showing the details, confirmed and unconfirmed, that were coming in. Updated as the standoff dragged on, the maps helped give structure to the chaos for people following from abroad. Even people who had never been to Mumbai got a sense of the chillingly impressive level of the attackers’ coordination.”

We highly recommend you all check out this article, which has reinforced our believe that imagery and mapping is vital to all aspects of our human experience.

Tags: Cartography, Imagery, Mapping, Maps, Mumbai Attacks