The Geog
575 course description reads: "The digital revolution
has changed how we make maps, how we use them, and how we
think about them. The rapid and concurrent developments in
desktop computing capabilities, the availability of digital
geospatial data, and the growth of the Internet have radically
changed the cartographic landscape. In an age where the user
has increasingly become their own mapmaker (e.g., MapQuest,
online GIS) this course examines recent issues in cartography
related to map animation, the Internet, geovisualization,
and on-demand cartographic systems—focusing on the new
cartographic challenges and opportunities associated with
interactive, digital mapping systems. This class will examine
both theoretical and practical issues in the design of effective
digital maps and mapping systems. Topics include: the representation
of change, exploratory data analysis, and tools and techniques
in geovisualization."
New Features on the Website
Two new resources have been added to the Department of Geography
website: the Student Handbook and an improved site search.
In addition, the Computer Help Desk is revamping its webpages
to provide an easier interface and better visibility into
the Help Desk process and request status. Watch for a Department-wide
announcement of the new Help Desk pages.
Char Burke, Department of Geography Graduate Student Coordinator,
says that the 2005 Student Handbook will be made available
online, but students can also pick up a paper copy in the
Grad Coordinator's office. The Student Handbook lists the
faculty and staff in the Department, student procedures, program
requirements, and financial aid information. The Handbook
can be found on the main Graduate
Program page.
The new Geography Department website search feature allows
users to choose their favorite search engine, either Google,
MSN, or Yahoo, to find keywords on pages in the Geography
website. The search feature is at the bottom of the menu on
each page.
Of Maps and Mobility:
Dr. Phil Steinberg Completes Holzheimer Fellowship
"On
maps, the representation of the ocean as empty is a social
construction," said Dr. Phil Steinberg, associate professor
in the Department of Geography at Florida State University.
While at the UW-Madison this summer on a Holzheimer Fellowship
in the History of Cartography, Steinberg is assessing hundreds
of world maps to uncover the cartographic links between the
way nation-states and world oceans were mapped from CE 1500-1800.
GIS Certificate
student wins Society for Conservation scholarship
Crystal Fankhauser, GIS Certificate student, recently received
a Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) scholarship to attend
two weeks of training at the ESRI Learning Center in Redlands,
California and present her internship work at the ESRI
International Users conference in San Diego and the SCGIS
Annual Conference in Monterey.
Congratulations, Crystal !
Fankhauser's internship at The
Nature Conservancy (TNC) involves the development of GIS
data for SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) modeling of
the upper Pecatonica River watershed. The TNC is using this
model to help develop stream health criteria that includes
measures of biodiversity and biological integrity in addition
to water quality.
Prof.
Mark Harrower writes that the new Cartography 575 class projects
have been posted.
"On
maps, the representation of the ocean as empty is a social
construction," said Dr. Phil Steinberg, associate professor
in the Department of Geography at Florida State University.
