Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map

How does Peter Pan get to Never Never Land? What trail did Dorothy take to get to Oz? How do you get to Grandfather's house at Thanksgiving?

Unfortunately only spaceships navigate through the stars, there aren't many yellow brick roads around, and cars aren't preprogrammed with directions to Grandfather's house. Instead we count on people like Will Fontanez to tell us how to get where we want to go. Will manages the Cartographic Services Laboratory at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Cartographers make maps. According to The Software Toolworks Multimedia Encyclopedia, the earliest known map was drawn on a small clay tablet in the 3rd millennium BC by the Sumerians. Early Egyptians drew maps to show property lines because the Nile River flooded the area every year and washed away the land markers.

Pirates used maps to find buried treasure.

Because maps of general areas (countries, oceans, and so on) already exist, map makers are usually asked for maps of specific areas or with certain types of information. For example, when Tennessee had record-setting rainfalls in March 1994, many areas flooded and unsafe roads were closed. Like the early Egyptians when the Nile flooded, the National Park Service asked Will to draw new maps so visitors could navigate around closed roads in the Smoky Mountains National Park.

When Will gets a map request, he checks his collection of atlases and computerized maps to find a general outline of the area. Then he finds the latitude and longitude and the projection to be used.

Because the Earth is round and paper is flat, it is hard to draw a map without distorting the shape of the Earth. A map maker decides the type of projection to use based on who will be using the map. Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia explains the different types of projections as:

• Equal-area -- the shape of the continents and directions (north, south, east, west) are distorted, but the size of the continents in relation to one another are correct.
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• Conformal -- the shape of the continents and directions (north, south, east, west) are correct and the size is distorted. Navigators and surveyors use conformal maps because they need true shape and direction.
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• Compromise -- the shape of the continents and directions (north, south, east, west) are distorted, but the distortions are balanced. Most maps use compromise projections.
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• Azimuthal Equidistant -- the distance between two points on a straight line can be measured accurately. Airplanes use Equidistant projections.

Once Will has an outline of the area he fills in the details. Some standard types of maps listed in Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia are:

• Political -- show cultural features like the outlines of countries, states, and cities.
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• Physical -- show natural features, such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans.
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• Road -- show tourist attractions, types of roads, railroad crossings, etc.
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• Thematic -- show specific kinds of information. Physical thematic maps show land formations, rocks and minerals, or weather. Cultural thematic maps show population, languages, religion, or economic trends.
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• Weather -- show precipitation (rain, sleet, snow) and cold fronts.

Maps can be a combination of different types. A physical map may also show outlines of states, and political maps may show oceans and lakes.

Sometimes maps are made for special occasions. For instance, in honor of the University of Tennessee's Bicentennial, Will created a 25- by 30-inch color poster featuring a map of the world with Knoxville as the center. Using Will's map, a person flying an airplane could find Knoxville from anywhere else in the world.

As you can see, without maps and mapmakers like Will Fontanez and the UTK Cartographic Services Laboratory, we would truly be lost.

Mapmaker Crossword Puzzle - print it out and pass it around.

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