出版社：National Centre for Maps and Cartographic Heritage
摘要：Understanding the processes by which early maps were created and the
interconnections of maps and map makers is key to broadening our knowledge of map history
and cartographic science. This paper draws on data collected across three UK research
projects centred on analysing, untangling and evaluating the relationships between maps and
map makers of sixteenth-century Great Britain and Ireland. Using GIS, ‘Place’ features
(written in Latin, Gaelic, Welsh and English) derived from a large suite of maps were
digitised and added to one centralised geo-historical gazetteer. Employing robust quantitative
methods including statistical regression procedures, distortion measures and displacement
modelling, the maps were analysed and compared to reveal significant insights into the
cartographic connections and the map making processes of Renaissance Europe. The paper
also illustrates a common goal of these projects, to ‘curate’ early maps by enabling
accessibility to cartography and associated data through online resources. The paper
highlights that digital methods and curation, used in combination with more traditional forms
of qualitative enquiry, provide a new instrument for deciphering and conserving histories of
cartography.
