In recent years, a novel combination of technologies has transformed map-making, and map-viewing. They include satellite images of earth, along with rapid access to those images via the Internet, but also the Global Positioning System, which provides a common language of location, worldwide. Finally, there are techniques for assembling, via computer, data on any phenomena that has a geographic location. That can be almost anything: Wildlife habitat; crime; income in particular neighborhoods; real estate development; or political contributions. One of the most spectacular examples of this, and my personal favorite, is Google Earth.
I became fascinated by this revolution in map-making. With support from the Sloan Foundation, I started exploring this field and reporting on particular facets of it. On the left, you can find links to my various map-related stories.
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