Education for the future

by Ilse Genovese

From cover to cover, this issue of the ACSM Bulletin draws attention to cartography in its various forms. Covers one and four were created by John Innes of Knoxville, Tennessee, whose company, User Friendly Maps, took second and third places in the recreation and travel category of the 2008 CaGIS-sponsored Map Design Competition. The front cover demonstrates the new technique—variably called the “racetrack” or the “wrap”—which his winning maps employ. The back cover is a boon to all participants of this year’s International ESRI User Conference in San Diego. It maps all restaurants within a five-minute walk from the San Diego Convention Center—again using a map wrap. The “wrap” enables a user interface on a paper map and, as John’s maps and an article in this issue, “A New Edge for Maps,” illustrate, this interactive technique is far from “strange” on such maps. Encouraging innovation in professional mapping is one of the goals of the CaGIS Map Design Competition; the other, perceived by some as the competition’s raison d’etre, is its focus on students. Over the past 20 years, perhaps the staunchest supporter of the competition’s college student awards has been the National Geographic Society. David Miller, senior editor with NGS, recounts the experience in his article “Recognizing College Students and their Maps.” Professional societies have traditionally played a role in education through support for academic discourse and publishing. The member organizations within ACSM publish two academic journals, one of which, Cartography and Geographic Information Science, has reached an important milestone this year. The entire CaGIS archive dating from 1974 to this day is now available online at www.ingentaconnect.com. I write about the journal’s history and the cartographers who were the star players in that history in my article, “American Cartography and GIScience.” In the most contentious debate of our times—global change—maps wield an extraordinary power in decision making. The article, “‘A Map Worth a Thousand Words’—If Well Designed,” could not have been written without the research published last year by two University of Idaho cartographers, Jean McKendry and Gary Machlis, in Climatic Change. Debatable as the severity of climate change may be, and the causes of such a change, studies retracing our ecological footprints are beginning to yield results. One such study, conducted by scientists at the Woods Hole Research Centre at Falmouth, Massachusetts, is tracking carbon footprints across the globe and is described by Jessica Wyland, a writer with ESRI, in her article, “Measuring Carbon Footprints in U.S. Forests.” Bill Hazelton’s syndicated opinion piece, “If You Think Education Is Expensive, Try Ignorance,” dissects the dangers of not venturing out of one’s ivory tower. As is customary for this outspoken surveying educator, he does not mince his words. Even if we don’t see ourselves ever using calculus, or vector algebra, or photogrammetry, or [whatever your favorite pet peeve is], surveying programs need to educate students for the future work environment, not just today’s. Meeting peers at conferences is part of the broader education of any professional. Three of our member organizations—AAGS, GLIS, and NSPS—form the ACSM FIG Forum which represents U.S. surveyors to FIG. The Forum’s chair and contributor of the Bulletin’s FIG Reporter column, John Hohol, describes, in most vivid terms, the business and social parts of the 2009 FIG Working Week in Eliat, Israel, on pages 46-48. In these tight economic times, state colleges and universities have had to look for alternatives to furnish their labs with surveying equipment for students to practice with and learn on. Topcon’s Educational Partnership Program has filled the need, writes Daniel Brown in his article, “Foresight in Surveying Education.” Dr. Map’s “Four Corners” infobyte in his column in the April issue has elicited a rejoinder from William Stone, New Mexico Geodetic Advisor, correcting misinformation perpetuated, initially, by the media and now by Dr. Map. Albert Christensen’s account of the first Cadastral Atlas of Argentina puts a fitting ending to the 2009 education issue of the ACSM Bullletin. Hope you enjoy the maps and the varied viewpoints of our geospatial world presented.
See you in San Diego!