Acta Geodaetica et Cartographica Sinica ›› 2022, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (6): 829-842.doi: 10.11947/j.AGCS.2022.20210661

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Cartography:its past, present and future

WANG Jiayao1, WU Fang2, YAN Haowen3   

  1. 1. Henan Institute of Technology for Spatio-temporal Big Data Industry, Zhengzhou 450046, China;
    2. Institute of Geospatial Information, Information Engineering University, Zhengzhou 450001, China;
    3. Faculty of Geomatics, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China
  • Received:2021-12-01 Revised:2022-01-02 Published:2022-07-02

Abstract: Currently, cartography, as well as other disciplines such as geography, is at a time of great revolution. While cartography is making progress continuously, various "trend of thoughts" and "points of view" appear, such as "is cartography marginalized?" and "where should cartography go?" These arise great concerns in the circles of both academy and industry of geoinformation. To answer the questions, firstly, this paper briefly introduces the development history of cartography, including reviewing the three times of rise in the history of cartography. It is not forgetting the past that can go to the future successfully. A review of the history of cartography is for the purpose of making cartography walk to the future better. Secondly, the achievements of contemporary cartography are analyzed, including the discipline systems of cartography, new minds, new thoughts and new methods in cartography, intelligent map generalization and cascade renewal of multiscale maps, social influences of maps, and inexhaustible driving forces of cartography development. It is to know present that can start a good future. Finally, to play the leading role of cartographic philosophy in innovative development of cartography, the paper addresses the development of cartography promoted by artificial intelligence and the achievements in visualization of spatio-temporal big data and visual design. It deems that cartography will certainly develop at an integrated direction of both high differentiation and high synthetization, and the rerise of cartography is the great trend of the time.

Key words: map, cartography, spatio-temporal big data, artificial intelligence

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