'Maps, mashups and smashups'

In cartographic terms, I’d consider 2008 to be quite an important year. In recent times, I’ve certainly not had the impression that maps and mapping have been quite so high on the radar of so many people before. I guess we have Google to thank for much of this increase in awareness and mainstream cultural resonance but the impact is more widespread. Whether it’s referred to as cartography, mapping or whatever doesn’t really matter but the subject has been at the heart of many of the main conferences this year. ESRI continue to improve their software to provide richer cartographic tools and bring the capability of halfdecent design to the masses of GIS Users out there. At their User Conference in San Diego in August, once again the sessions focussing on cartography were some of the best attended. Also at the User Conference, President of the International Cartographic Association (ICA), Professor William Cartwright, presented ESRI President Jack Dangermond with its highest honour, the Carl Mannerfelt Medal. The Mannerfelt Gold Medal was first awarded in 1980 and continues to recognise extraordinary merits in cartography including the conception, production, dissemination, and study of maps. Dangermond is only the eleventh recipient of the medal. ‘Jack Dangermond is a unique and outstanding promoter of cartography, mapping, and geography,’ said Milan Konecny, immediate past-president, ICA. ‘He is able to bridge the gap between research ideas and the intentions of cartographers on one side and real practical needs of users from many different fields on the other.’ Dangermond was presented with the Mannerfelt Medal for his development of new cartographic tools, the creation of digital atlases, and his promotion of cartography. Figure 1 shows Jack Dangermond accepting his award flanked by Bill Cartwright and Milan Konecny. In the ICA citation for Dangermond’s award, Konecny explained that from humble beginnings as a small research group in 1969, ESRI has grown to an organization with 10 offices in the United States and 80 international distributors supporting users in 150 different countries. ESRI is widely recognized as the technical and market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software. Under Dangermond’s direction, the company has pioneered innovative solutions for working with geographic data on computer desktops, across organizations, on the Internet, and in the field using handheld mobile technology. A graduate of the Harvard School of Design, Dangermond holds six honorary doctorates from universities around the world. The use of maps and GIS to assist in many areas of human activities, ranging from crisis management in disasters such as the recent cyclone in Myanmar to issues of health and geography, is especially innovative. Recent activities distributing and sharing knowledge and capacity building through fundamental projects have included United Nations (UN) Global Mapping: providing opportunities for young users to become part of the development of cartography through grants awarded to those working with cartography in solving problems in the contemporary world. Together with ICA, Dangermond and ESRI have highlighted and promoted the best drawings from the Barbara Petchenik Contest in the book Children Map the World: Selections from the Barbara Petchenik Children’s World Map Competition. ESRI have also been central in publishing classic cartography books, such as Eduard Imhoff’s Cartographic Relief Presentation, which help share the ideas of cartographers from around the world ‘Jack Dangermond is a pioneer defining and delimiting the use of cartography and geographic information in support of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and the creation of a true knowledge-based society,’ stated Konecny. This is praise indeed for Dangermond and he is a worthy recipient. The irony of the award was not lost on