It all began when I was about 12 years old, on a canoe trip in Northern Minnesota, with four other boys my age and a counselor about 18, who didn't know how to read a map and got our group horribly lost.
We spent a miserable night in a downpour, under our canoes, on wet and muddy ground. And I resolved that night that I would always the be the navigator and that I would never get lost again.
Antique maps are like supercharged nuggets of information.
Hendrik Hondius - 1630
One of my all-time favorite maps, by Hendrik Hondius, in 1630, during the Dutch Golden Age, when the world was not yet fully discovered and the conventional wisdom was that California was an island. It’s a map, and a piece of art and a statement about the importance of science in a world that had previously been dominated by religion and tradition.
Hendrik Hondius (1573 - 1650) was a Dutch Golden Age engraver, cartographer and publisher. This wonderful and very detailed map was first published around 1630, in his famous atlas Atlantis Maioris. It was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia. The map is within decorative border, with portraits of Julius Caesar, Ptolomey, Gerhard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius and tableaus depicting the 4 elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Terra Incognita Maps
Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula is a map of the world created by Hendrik Hondius in 1630, and published the following year at Amsterdam, in the atlas Atlantis Maioris Appendix. Illustrations of the four elements of fire, air, water, and land are included. In the four corners, there are portraits of Julius Caesar, Claudius Ptolemy, and the atlas's first two publishers, Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius, the father of Hendrik.[39] Among its claims to notability is the fact that it was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia, the only previous map to do so being Hessel Gerritsz' 1627 Caert van't Landt van d'Eendracht ("Chart of the Land of Eendracht"), which was not widely distributed or recognised. The Australian coastline shown is part of the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, discovered by Jan Carstensz in 1623. Curiously, the map does not show the west coast features shown in Gerritsz' Caert. Wikipedia
Or, "What kind of map is this?" And you find it is a mappa mundi from the 13th century, depicting items of faith and place. You can see Jesus, Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, as well as Jerusalem and the Red Sea.
From the late 13th century, this is the Psalter Map, because it was found a Psalter, which is book of psalms. This map is called a mappa mundi, which historian Felicitas Schmieder refers to as "Geographies of Salvation" as they report the narrative of Christ's interaction with our world. The map includes Jerusalem, the Garden of Eden, the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, Gog and Magog, as well as a section of monstrous races.
The Psalter Map is a one of the most famous examples of a midieval mappa mundi. It was likely part of a psalm or prayer book. I love it because it is only marginally geographic and instead speaks to symbols of faith and fear. It has Jerusalem in the center and the Garden of Eden. It also a section on the right of fantastic beasts from other lands.
“The Psalter map is an English map from the thirteenth century that includes much information within it's small area Like many medieval maps, this world map subjectively presents Jerusalem, as enlarged and at the center, as Jesus overlooks the world. The map also contains many indicators of the materiality of the Middle Ages, including buildings, boats, "monstrous" human races (along the right-hand side) and the wind. Thus, the map acts as a record of how people experienced the world during this time period.” History Fine Prints (on etsy)
“Psalter World Map is the name historiography gave to a medieval world map that has been found in a psalter. This mappa mundi is now conserved at the British Library in London. The small map (c. 9.5 cm or 3.7 in high) shows a lot of detail. It was written around 1260; the author is unknown. According to historian Anna-Dorothee von den Brincken, it looks like a small version of the Ebstorf Map from Northern Germany. It is a typical mappa mundi that does not only show the geographical and historical knowledge, but also puts it into the frame of salvation history. Jesus Christ appears in the East (i.e. "above"), as the maps of Christian Middle Ages have East above, not North, giving a blessing with his right hand.” wikipedia
“A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were commonly used for learning to read. Many Psalters were richly illuminated and they include some of the most spectacular surviving examples of medieval book art.” wikipedia
One of my favorite maps of all time, the story of this map is the story of Western civilization, which owes a debt to Islam. Ptolemy, in the 2nd century AD, knew and wrote about Europe, Africa and Asia, in a book called Geographia, which included the first system of longitude and latitude, as well as about 8,000 lat-long coordinates for cities. When the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century, Ptolemy’s book made its way to Bagdad and, during the Islamic Golden Age, from roughly 750 to 1250, this book was translated from Latin into Arabic. With the fall of Bagdad and the awakening of the Renaissance, this book made its way to Europe and, in 1482, Ptolemy’s book and this map were created and published in Ulm.
Write a 200-word summary of the map titled the Ulm Ptoley world map of 1482.
The Ulm Ptolemy world map of 1482 is a landmark in cartographic history, notable for being the first printed world map produced north of the Alps and the first to appear in color, with the seas rendered in a vibrant blue. Published by Lienhart Holle in Ulm, this map was based on the manuscript work of Donnus Nicolaus Germanus and engraved by Johannes Schnitzer of Armsheim, whose signature appears on the map—the earliest known example of a signed world map engraving16.
The map follows the Ptolemaic tradition but incorporates some contemporary updates, such as detailed depictions of Scandinavia and Greenland, reflecting the latest geographical knowledge of the time456. However, it omits Portuguese discoveries along the African coast and retains a closed Indian Ocean, linking Asia and Africa with a speculative southern continent12. Surrounding the map are twelve wind heads, each named, adding decorative and symbolic elements16.
Printed from woodblocks rather than copperplates, the map is visually distinctive, with bold, sturdy lines and rich coloring. The Ulm edition also introduced four new regional maps to the atlas, marking a significant evolution from earlier Italian editions. The 1482 Ulm Ptolemy remains highly prized for its artistic quality and historical significance456.
How did Geography by Ptolemy from classical times until the renaissance?
Ptolemy’s Geography (or Geographia) was a transformative work that shaped the understanding and representation of the world from classical antiquity through the Renaissance. Written around 150 AD, it introduced a systematic approach to mapping the world, using mathematical principles and a coordinate system of latitude and longitude based on a prime meridian at the "Fortunate Isles" (Canary Islands)15. Ptolemy’s work synthesized earlier geographic knowledge, notably refining the methods of Marinus of Tyre, and included detailed instructions for mapmaking, a gazetteer with coordinates for thousands of locations, and regional as well as world maps15.
After flourishing in the Roman and Byzantine worlds, Geography faded in Western Europe during the early Middle Ages, as religiously symbolic maps (like T-O maps) dominated5. However, the text was preserved and expanded upon by Islamic scholars, who translated and commented on it, keeping its scientific legacy alive5. The Renaissance saw a revival: Byzantine scholars reintroduced the text to Western Europe, leading to a Latin translation in 1406 by Jacopo d’Angelo15. Printed editions with reconstructed maps appeared from 1477 onward, revolutionizing European cartography by emphasizing empirical observation and mathematical accuracy over medieval symbolism145. Ptolemy’s methods influenced explorers, mapmakers, and the broader development of geographic science well into the modern era35.
The “River of the West” was a legendary waterway depicted on many 17th- and 18th-century maps of North America, reflecting European hopes for a transcontinental passage from the interior to the Pacific Ocean. Inspired by explorers’ tales and fueled by myths like Admiral de Fonte’s supposed voyage, cartographers drew the river as a possible route for trade and the elusive Northwest Passage12. The river’s imagined course linked the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, sometimes connecting with the Missouri or Great Lakes. As scientific exploration increased in the late 18th century, notably after Captain Cook’s surveys, the river vanished from maps, replaced by accurate geography34.
“An impressive, monumental size double hemisphere world map by Dunn. The world map is full of detail, including topography, settlements, Indian tribes in America, etc. There are 15 insets, including celestial charts (both Northern and Southern Hemisphere), the Solar System, a selenographic map of the moon’s surface as well a smaller world map on Mercator’s projection. This version also shows Captain Cook’s and other explorer’s tracks and voyages. Dunn's decorative double hemisphere map of the World, embellished with a number of different Celestial Models, which has been revised to include the discoveries of Captain Cook on his 3 voyages. There is plentiful of descriptive text throughout the map. This is the first edition of the map, published by Robert Sayer.” Liveauctioneers.com
This is the revolutionary design made by Harry Beck, an electrical engineer, in 1933. It strips out geographical accuracy in favor of what really matters: "Where is the next stop?"
South Carolina Deerskin Map, 1721, Library of Congress Copy.
DUPLICATED
Image 16 of 40 | e787 | i42238 | 3539x2433px
South Carolina Deerskin Map, 1721, Library of Congress Copy.DUPLICATED
The description for this map reads: “This map describing the situation of the Several Nations of Indians to the NW of South Carolina was copyed from a Draught drawn & painted on a Deer skin by an Indian Cacique and presented to Francis Nicholson Esq. Governour of South Carolina by whom it is most humbly Dedicated To His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales.”
Oriented with the Atlantic coast on the left and the bottom, this map depicts 13 Carolina Indian communities and the English colonies of Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the relationships between them.
Earlier historians, namely Gregory A. Waselkov and Mark Warhus, have attributed this map to the Catawba Indians. However, in 2013, Professor Ian Chambers, then at the University of Idaho, made the case for a Cherokee origin. This exhibit follows Chambers' interpretation.
The map shown here is actually the Library of Congress' copy of an "original" copy stored in the British Library (next image).
For more information on the stories and associations with which the Cherokee and the English made sense of one another, see: Chambers, Ian. 2015. “The Empire Visits the Metropolis: The Red Atlantic, Spatial Habitus and the Cherokee.” Atlantic Studies 12 (1): 67–89. doi:10.1080/14788810.2014.963782.
Thanks again to Professor Susan Schulten for directing me to research on this map.
Classic KMMS world map, “Ṣūrat al-Arḍ” (Picture of the World) - 1193
DUPLICATED
Image 17 of 40 | e787 | i42239 | 7433x5253px
Classic KMMS world map, “Ṣūrat al-Arḍ” (Picture of the World) - 1193DUPLICATED
An amazing map of the world from 1193, created by an Islamic cartographer, based on information from roughly two centuries earlier that was also by an Islamic cartographer. The world owes a debt to Islamic world for being the center of knowledge, learning and the keeper, through the Islamic translation movement, of the flame of knowledge that had been started by the Greeks and Romans. See the schematic diagram to better understand how all the parts of the world were shown in this map.
Classic KMMS world map, “Ṣūrat al-Arḍ” (Picture of the World), from an abbreviated copy of al-Iṣṭakhrī’s Kitāb al-masālik wa-al-mamālik (Book of Routes and Realms). Gouache and ink on paper. Diameter 37.5 cm. Cod. Or. 3101, fols. 4–5. Firmly dated through colophon to 589 AH/ 1193 CE. Location: Leiden University Libraries.
Late Siculo-Norman product as identified by Karen Pinto on the basis of an ‘alama—stamp used in the Siculo-Norman court.
Description: This is an interactive Satellite Map created by Richie Carmichael, an Esri developer of 22+ years. It claims to show satellites in space by country but does not specify whether these are active satellites or whether it includes every satellite ever launched (according to available data). Carmichael actually gives very little context or background info about this map and how he created it.
Question: How many satellites are in space and where are they?
Logic: This map is an interactive 3D model of Earth. Carmichael used this model to enable the viewer to rotate the earth and zoom out wide to se all satellites in near and far orbit.
System: Carmichael gets most of his data from online opensource resources, such as NASA and N2YO. As an Esri developer, he takes this data and creates his own map.
Estimation: Carmichael clearly uses estimation in where he chooses to place each satellite on the map and how he chooses to represent the line of orbit. These factors are constantly changing in real time.
Design: I don't initially see any design-related purpose for this map, considering it doesn't specify whether these are active or historic satellites. This seems to be a fun project to test Esri capabilities.
Iteration: It seems that Carmichael started this project in about 2016 and continued to work on it until 2022. It's not clear how many data sets Carmichael had to use to make this map.
E316 - Map of the Universe - (Cam Maguire)DUPLICATED
Question - Where are galaxies located in the universe in relation to the milky way? Are these galaxies red-shifted or blue-shifted?
Logic - With the Milky Way galaxy at the bottom, the map expands out into a cone shape with over 200,000 other known galaxies displayed. The map is color coded as blue galaxies are closer to us and red are farther away.
System - Digital mapping using 15 years of data collected every night from New Mexico.
Estimation - None of this has been seen by human eyes so all of the locations are done using calculations so there could be some error but for the most part the positioning is very accurate.
Design - Very precise, lots going on. Over 200,000 galaxies mapped. Some descriptions for some of the galaxies and quasars are listed.
Q - How can I navigate and interact with natural terrain, primarily mountains?
L - A digital, 3 dimensional map of the Earth that captures the topography as closely as possible.
S - Uses open source mapping data from a variety of sources and satellite imagery. Also receives qualitative data from users on trail difficulty, characteristics, etc.
E - Trail-specific data is likely estimated using data from the map. Other estimations possibly include the general shape of the mountains and land.
D - The base map corresponds as closely as possible to how the terrain actually looks and displays the trail name in difficulty-accurate color. Essential roads and interest points are included on the map. Different map overlays use colors to visually represent the corresponding theme.
I - The map does not change from what I understand, so it is made/stored once and loaded whenever a user accesses the site. However, every time a user-created Route is added, the map must be modified and in a sense “re-made”.
It all began when I was about 12 years old, on a canoe trip in Northern Minnesota, with four other boys my age and a counselor about 18, who didn't know how to read a map and got our group horribly lost.
We spent a miserable night in a downpour, under our canoes, on wet and muddy ground. And I resolved that night that I would always the be the navigator and that I would never get lost again.
Antique maps are like supercharged nuggets of information.
Hendrik Hondius - 1630
One of my all-time favorite maps, by Hendrik Hondius, in 1630, during the Dutch Golden Age, when the world was not yet fully discovered and the conventional wisdom was that California was an island. It’s a map, and a piece of art and a statement about the importance of science in a world that had previously been dominated by religion and tradition.
Hendrik Hondius (1573 - 1650) was a Dutch Golden Age engraver, cartographer and publisher. This wonderful and very detailed map was first published around 1630, in his famous atlas Atlantis Maioris. It was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia. The map is within decorative border, with portraits of Julius Caesar, Ptolomey, Gerhard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius and tableaus depicting the 4 elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Terra Incognita Maps
Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula is a map of the world created by Hendrik Hondius in 1630, and published the following year at Amsterdam, in the atlas Atlantis Maioris Appendix. Illustrations of the four elements of fire, air, water, and land are included. In the four corners, there are portraits of Julius Caesar, Claudius Ptolemy, and the atlas's first two publishers, Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius, the father of Hendrik.[39] Among its claims to notability is the fact that it was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia, the only previous map to do so being Hessel Gerritsz' 1627 Caert van't Landt van d'Eendracht ("Chart of the Land of Eendracht"), which was not widely distributed or recognised. The Australian coastline shown is part of the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, discovered by Jan Carstensz in 1623. Curiously, the map does not show the west coast features shown in Gerritsz' Caert. Wikipedia
Or, "What kind of map is this?" And you find it is a mappa mundi from the 13th century, depicting items of faith and place. You can see Jesus, Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden, as well as Jerusalem and the Red Sea.
From the late 13th century, this is the Psalter Map, because it was found a Psalter, which is book of psalms. This map is called a mappa mundi, which historian Felicitas Schmieder refers to as "Geographies of Salvation" as they report the narrative of Christ's interaction with our world. The map includes Jerusalem, the Garden of Eden, the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, Gog and Magog, as well as a section of monstrous races.
The Psalter Map is a one of the most famous examples of a midieval mappa mundi. It was likely part of a psalm or prayer book. I love it because it is only marginally geographic and instead speaks to symbols of faith and fear. It has Jerusalem in the center and the Garden of Eden. It also a section on the right of fantastic beasts from other lands.
“The Psalter map is an English map from the thirteenth century that includes much information within it's small area Like many medieval maps, this world map subjectively presents Jerusalem, as enlarged and at the center, as Jesus overlooks the world. The map also contains many indicators of the materiality of the Middle Ages, including buildings, boats, "monstrous" human races (along the right-hand side) and the wind. Thus, the map acts as a record of how people experienced the world during this time period.” History Fine Prints (on etsy)
“Psalter World Map is the name historiography gave to a medieval world map that has been found in a psalter. This mappa mundi is now conserved at the British Library in London. The small map (c. 9.5 cm or 3.7 in high) shows a lot of detail. It was written around 1260; the author is unknown. According to historian Anna-Dorothee von den Brincken, it looks like a small version of the Ebstorf Map from Northern Germany. It is a typical mappa mundi that does not only show the geographical and historical knowledge, but also puts it into the frame of salvation history. Jesus Christ appears in the East (i.e. "above"), as the maps of Christian Middle Ages have East above, not North, giving a blessing with his right hand.” wikipedia
“A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were commonly used for learning to read. Many Psalters were richly illuminated and they include some of the most spectacular surviving examples of medieval book art.” wikipedia
One of my favorite maps of all time, the story of this map is the story of Western civilization, which owes a debt to Islam. Ptolemy, in the 2nd century AD, knew and wrote about Europe, Africa and Asia, in a book called Geographia, which included the first system of longitude and latitude, as well as about 8,000 lat-long coordinates for cities. When the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century, Ptolemy’s book made its way to Bagdad and, during the Islamic Golden Age, from roughly 750 to 1250, this book was translated from Latin into Arabic. With the fall of Bagdad and the awakening of the Renaissance, this book made its way to Europe and, in 1482, Ptolemy’s book and this map were created and published in Ulm.
Write a 200-word summary of the map titled the Ulm Ptoley world map of 1482.
The Ulm Ptolemy world map of 1482 is a landmark in cartographic history, notable for being the first printed world map produced north of the Alps and the first to appear in color, with the seas rendered in a vibrant blue. Published by Lienhart Holle in Ulm, this map was based on the manuscript work of Donnus Nicolaus Germanus and engraved by Johannes Schnitzer of Armsheim, whose signature appears on the map—the earliest known example of a signed world map engraving16.
The map follows the Ptolemaic tradition but incorporates some contemporary updates, such as detailed depictions of Scandinavia and Greenland, reflecting the latest geographical knowledge of the time456. However, it omits Portuguese discoveries along the African coast and retains a closed Indian Ocean, linking Asia and Africa with a speculative southern continent12. Surrounding the map are twelve wind heads, each named, adding decorative and symbolic elements16.
Printed from woodblocks rather than copperplates, the map is visually distinctive, with bold, sturdy lines and rich coloring. The Ulm edition also introduced four new regional maps to the atlas, marking a significant evolution from earlier Italian editions. The 1482 Ulm Ptolemy remains highly prized for its artistic quality and historical significance456.
How did Geography by Ptolemy from classical times until the renaissance?
Ptolemy’s Geography (or Geographia) was a transformative work that shaped the understanding and representation of the world from classical antiquity through the Renaissance. Written around 150 AD, it introduced a systematic approach to mapping the world, using mathematical principles and a coordinate system of latitude and longitude based on a prime meridian at the "Fortunate Isles" (Canary Islands)15. Ptolemy’s work synthesized earlier geographic knowledge, notably refining the methods of Marinus of Tyre, and included detailed instructions for mapmaking, a gazetteer with coordinates for thousands of locations, and regional as well as world maps15.
After flourishing in the Roman and Byzantine worlds, Geography faded in Western Europe during the early Middle Ages, as religiously symbolic maps (like T-O maps) dominated5. However, the text was preserved and expanded upon by Islamic scholars, who translated and commented on it, keeping its scientific legacy alive5. The Renaissance saw a revival: Byzantine scholars reintroduced the text to Western Europe, leading to a Latin translation in 1406 by Jacopo d’Angelo15. Printed editions with reconstructed maps appeared from 1477 onward, revolutionizing European cartography by emphasizing empirical observation and mathematical accuracy over medieval symbolism145. Ptolemy’s methods influenced explorers, mapmakers, and the broader development of geographic science well into the modern era35.
The “River of the West” was a legendary waterway depicted on many 17th- and 18th-century maps of North America, reflecting European hopes for a transcontinental passage from the interior to the Pacific Ocean. Inspired by explorers’ tales and fueled by myths like Admiral de Fonte’s supposed voyage, cartographers drew the river as a possible route for trade and the elusive Northwest Passage12. The river’s imagined course linked the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, sometimes connecting with the Missouri or Great Lakes. As scientific exploration increased in the late 18th century, notably after Captain Cook’s surveys, the river vanished from maps, replaced by accurate geography34.
“An impressive, monumental size double hemisphere world map by Dunn. The world map is full of detail, including topography, settlements, Indian tribes in America, etc. There are 15 insets, including celestial charts (both Northern and Southern Hemisphere), the Solar System, a selenographic map of the moon’s surface as well a smaller world map on Mercator’s projection. This version also shows Captain Cook’s and other explorer’s tracks and voyages. Dunn's decorative double hemisphere map of the World, embellished with a number of different Celestial Models, which has been revised to include the discoveries of Captain Cook on his 3 voyages. There is plentiful of descriptive text throughout the map. This is the first edition of the map, published by Robert Sayer.” Liveauctioneers.com
This is the revolutionary design made by Harry Beck, an electrical engineer, in 1933. It strips out geographical accuracy in favor of what really matters: "Where is the next stop?"
South Carolina Deerskin Map, 1721, Library of Congress Copy.
DUPLICATED
The description for this map reads: “This map describing the situation of the Several Nations of Indians to the NW of South Carolina was copyed from a Draught drawn & painted on a Deer skin by an Indian Cacique and presented to Francis Nicholson Esq. Governour of South Carolina by whom it is most humbly Dedicated To His Royal Highness George Prince of Wales.”
Oriented with the Atlantic coast on the left and the bottom, this map depicts 13 Carolina Indian communities and the English colonies of Virginia and Charleston, South Carolina, as well as the relationships between them.
Earlier historians, namely Gregory A. Waselkov and Mark Warhus, have attributed this map to the Catawba Indians. However, in 2013, Professor Ian Chambers, then at the University of Idaho, made the case for a Cherokee origin. This exhibit follows Chambers' interpretation.
The map shown here is actually the Library of Congress' copy of an "original" copy stored in the British Library (next image).
For more information on the stories and associations with which the Cherokee and the English made sense of one another, see: Chambers, Ian. 2015. “The Empire Visits the Metropolis: The Red Atlantic, Spatial Habitus and the Cherokee.” Atlantic Studies 12 (1): 67–89. doi:10.1080/14788810.2014.963782.
Thanks again to Professor Susan Schulten for directing me to research on this map.
Classic KMMS world map, “Ṣūrat al-Arḍ” (Picture of the World) - 1193
DUPLICATED
An amazing map of the world from 1193, created by an Islamic cartographer, based on information from roughly two centuries earlier that was also by an Islamic cartographer. The world owes a debt to Islamic world for being the center of knowledge, learning and the keeper, through the Islamic translation movement, of the flame of knowledge that had been started by the Greeks and Romans. See the schematic diagram to better understand how all the parts of the world were shown in this map.
Classic KMMS world map, “Ṣūrat al-Arḍ” (Picture of the World), from an abbreviated copy of al-Iṣṭakhrī’s Kitāb al-masālik wa-al-mamālik (Book of Routes and Realms). Gouache and ink on paper. Diameter 37.5 cm. Cod. Or. 3101, fols. 4–5. Firmly dated through colophon to 589 AH/ 1193 CE. Location: Leiden University Libraries.
Late Siculo-Norman product as identified by Karen Pinto on the basis of an ‘alama—stamp used in the Siculo-Norman court.
Description: This is an interactive Satellite Map created by Richie Carmichael, an Esri developer of 22+ years. It claims to show satellites in space by country but does not specify whether these are active satellites or whether it includes every satellite ever launched (according to available data). Carmichael actually gives very little context or background info about this map and how he created it.
Question: How many satellites are in space and where are they?
Logic: This map is an interactive 3D model of Earth. Carmichael used this model to enable the viewer to rotate the earth and zoom out wide to se all satellites in near and far orbit.
System: Carmichael gets most of his data from online opensource resources, such as NASA and N2YO. As an Esri developer, he takes this data and creates his own map.
Estimation: Carmichael clearly uses estimation in where he chooses to place each satellite on the map and how he chooses to represent the line of orbit. These factors are constantly changing in real time.
Design: I don't initially see any design-related purpose for this map, considering it doesn't specify whether these are active or historic satellites. This seems to be a fun project to test Esri capabilities.
Iteration: It seems that Carmichael started this project in about 2016 and continued to work on it until 2022. It's not clear how many data sets Carmichael had to use to make this map.
Question - Where are galaxies located in the universe in relation to the milky way? Are these galaxies red-shifted or blue-shifted?
Logic - With the Milky Way galaxy at the bottom, the map expands out into a cone shape with over 200,000 other known galaxies displayed. The map is color coded as blue galaxies are closer to us and red are farther away.
System - Digital mapping using 15 years of data collected every night from New Mexico.
Estimation - None of this has been seen by human eyes so all of the locations are done using calculations so there could be some error but for the most part the positioning is very accurate.
Design - Very precise, lots going on. Over 200,000 galaxies mapped. Some descriptions for some of the galaxies and quasars are listed.
Q - How can I navigate and interact with natural terrain, primarily mountains?
L - A digital, 3 dimensional map of the Earth that captures the topography as closely as possible.
S - Uses open source mapping data from a variety of sources and satellite imagery. Also receives qualitative data from users on trail difficulty, characteristics, etc.
E - Trail-specific data is likely estimated using data from the map. Other estimations possibly include the general shape of the mountains and land.
D - The base map corresponds as closely as possible to how the terrain actually looks and displays the trail name in difficulty-accurate color. Essential roads and interest points are included on the map. Different map overlays use colors to visually represent the corresponding theme.
I - The map does not change from what I understand, so it is made/stored once and loaded whenever a user accesses the site. However, every time a user-created Route is added, the map must be modified and in a sense “re-made”.
It all began when I was about 12 years old, on a summer camp canoe trip in Northern Minnesota, with a counselor who didn't know how to read a map and got our group horribly lost.
Dots count
1
1
tomadmin
(@tomadmin)
Jan 06 2026
0.51
0.28
We spent a miserable night in a downpour under our canoes. And I resolved that I would always the be the navigator and that I would never get lost again.
I resolved that in the future I would always be the navigator and that I would never get lost again.
Dots count
1
1
tomadmin
(@tomadmin)
Jan 10 2026
0.51
0.06
Rob Kent
Dots count
1
1
tomadmin
(@tomadmin)
Jan 10 2026
0.01
0.05
Then, about ten years ago, for my job, we started doing geospatial analytics...
Dots count
1
1
tomadmin
(@tomadmin)
Jan 08 2026
0.58
0.37
Geospatial Work by Webster Pacific
Dots count
1
1
tomadmin
(@tomadmin)
Jan 10 2026
0
0.06
Example of Webster Pacific geospatial work
Dots count
1
1
tomadmin
(@tomadmin)
Jan 07 2026
0.16
0.12
About ten years ago, I discovered the world of antique maps.
Dots count
1
1
tomadmin
(@tomadmin)
Jan 07 2026
0.25
0.3
Antique maps are like supercharged nuggets of information.
Hendrik Hondius - 1630
One of my all-time favorite maps, by Hendrik Hondius, in 1630, during the Dutch Golden Age, when the world was not yet fully discovered and the conventional wisdom was that California was an island. It’s a map, and a piece of art and a statement about the importance of science in a world that had previously been dominated by religion and tradition.
Hendrik Hondius (1573 - 1650) was a Dutch Golden Age engraver, cartographer and publisher. This wonderful and very detailed map was first published around 1630, in his famous atlas Atlantis Maioris. It was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia. The map is within decorative border, with portraits of Julius Caesar, Ptolomey, Gerhard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius and tableaus depicting the 4 elements - Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Terra Incognita Maps
Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula is a map of the world created by Hendrik Hondius in 1630, and published the following year at Amsterdam, in the atlas Atlantis Maioris Appendix. Illustrations of the four elements of fire, air, water, and land are included. In the four corners, there are portraits of Julius Caesar, Claudius Ptolemy, and the atlas's first two publishers, Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius, the father of Hendrik.[39] Among its claims to notability is the fact that it was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia, the only previous map to do so being Hessel Gerritsz' 1627 Caert van't Landt van d'Eendracht ("Chart of the Land of Eendracht"), which was not widely distributed or recognised. The Australian coastline shown is part of the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, discovered by Jan Carstensz in 1623. Curiously, the map does not show the west coast features shown in Gerritsz' Caert. Wikipedia
Or, "What kind of map is this?" And you find it is a mappa mundi from the 13th century, a map of both faith and place. You can see Jesus on top and Adam and Eve on the bottom.
From the late 13th century, this is the Psalter Map, because it was found a Psalter, which is book of psalms. This map is called a mappa mundi, which historian Felicitas Schmieder refers to as "Geographies of Salvation" as they report the narrative of Christ's interaction with our world. The map includes Jerusalem, the Garden of Eden, the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, Gog and Magog, as well as a section of monstrous races.
The Psalter Map is a one of the most famous examples of a midieval mappa mundi. It was likely part of a psalm or prayer book. I love it because it is only marginally geographic and instead speaks to symbols of faith and fear. It has Jerusalem in the center and the Garden of Eden. It also a section on the right of fantastic beasts from other lands.
“The Psalter map is an English map from the thirteenth century that includes much information within it's small area Like many medieval maps, this world map subjectively presents Jerusalem, as enlarged and at the center, as Jesus overlooks the world. The map also contains many indicators of the materiality of the Middle Ages, including buildings, boats, "monstrous" human races (along the right-hand side) and the wind. Thus, the map acts as a record of how people experienced the world during this time period.” History Fine Prints (on etsy)
“Psalter World Map is the name historiography gave to a medieval world map that has been found in a psalter. This mappa mundi is now conserved at the British Library in London. The small map (c. 9.5 cm or 3.7 in high) shows a lot of detail. It was written around 1260; the author is unknown. According to historian Anna-Dorothee von den Brincken, it looks like a small version of the Ebstorf Map from Northern Germany. It is a typical mappa mundi that does not only show the geographical and historical knowledge, but also puts it into the frame of salvation history. Jesus Christ appears in the East (i.e. "above"), as the maps of Christian Middle Ages have East above, not North, giving a blessing with his right hand.” wikipedia
“A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were commonly used for learning to read. Many Psalters were richly illuminated and they include some of the most spectacular surviving examples of medieval book art.” wikipedia
Samuel Dunn’s 1787 world map is notable for its inclusion of an analemma—a diagram showing the Sun’s position in the sky at the same time each day throughout the year. This feature, placed in the map’s margins, allowed viewers to determine the equation of time and understand seasonal variations in solar time. Dunn, a mathematician and astronomer, used the analemma to illustrate the relationship between solar and mean time, enhancing the map’s scientific value. Its presence reflects the Enlightenment era’s emphasis on blending cartography with astronomical and navigational knowledge for both educational and practical purposes58.
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