The 16th Century Satellite Map of da Vinci

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Scott Schiller

In 1502, Leonardo da Vinci was hired to create a new map of the Italian city of Imola. He was instructed to forego the typically imaginative style of the time in favor of a more instructional and practical map, one that showed the city from directly overhead, to be used by the military and politicians to plan for the city’s security and fortification. Using polar coordinates that originate from the city’s center, a handheld compass and an odometer device, da Vinci walked every inch of the city’s winding streets and alleyways in order to render this fantastically accurate street map. The result is as artful as you’d expect from The Master, with its delicate washes and outlines. The overhead view achieved is was what today we call ithnographic (“track or trace” + “to write”) Ground plans, or blueprints, are well-known examples of an ithnographic map. Click here for a short video that explains da Vinci’s method.

Mapping a Lava Ice Tube – 3/24/19

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Scott Schiller

“The SETI Institute and Astrobotic Technology, Inc. are announcing the successful mapping in 3D of the interior of an ice-rich lava tube in Iceland using a LiDAR-equipped drone. The team was investigating the Lofthellir Lava Tube Ice Cave in the remote Myvatn region of Iceland, and used the drone to document the lava tube’s shape and extent, history of rock falls, and spectacular ice formations.”

Map of My Heart – 2/14/19

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Scott Schiller

On Valentine’s Day — or any day, really — ask yourself this question: What Do I Love? It’s a simple enough question but the answers may not come easily! It’s a fun exercise, though, one that is often done with children in grade school. Yet it’s never too late to reacquaint yourself with yourself. To make a map of your heart, just take a sheet of paper and draw the outline of a big heart. Then, inside of it, start drawing sections of varying sizes that correspond to the various things you really love. What’s your favorite food? Movie? Music? Book? Who do you enjoy spending time with? Do you have a favorite color? Animal? What was your favorite vacation? Who is your favorite actor? Whatever it is you really LOVE, put it inside your map! Don’t leave anything out, and don’t be shy, this is for your eyes only. Add some labels and maybe some color and voila! You’ve just made a map of your heart. Now tuck away somewhere only you can find it, and revisit it from time to time, maybe adding new things and subtracting others. The map of your heart is a living, beating thing…it […]

Old Survey Maps Get A New Life – 2/13/19

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Scott Schiller

Scott Reinhard is a graphic designer with a cool idea: turning vintage survey maps into 3D relief maps. Using elevation data from the United States Geological Survey he creates 3D elevations of the topography, then merges the data with the vintage designs of the old maps. “The US Geological Survey created maps starting in the 1800s not only to aid industry, but as educational tools for tourists and students. As such, it tried to make them as accessible as possible through the use of color and other touches. Reinhard has taken that idea to its logical next step by incorporating true 3D that lets mountains and other objects cast shadows, adding to the realism and making them more engaging. His 3D map of Yellowstone Park, based on a preliminary 1878 geological survey, is particularly engaging. You can buy high-quality prints of his Chromogenic prints that use traditional color photography development, on his website.” [Source: Engadget.com]

Where Will You Be in 250 Million Years? – 2/12/19

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Scott Schiller

In the near future — 250 million years or so — the Great Lakes will completely disappear, Africa will crash into New York and Antarctica will merge with Brazil. The continents are in constant motion. Thanks to plate tectonics, continents crash together and break apart, oceans shrink and widen (the Atlantic Ocean is spreading about one inch per year), mountain ranges lift and landmasses rearrange. The last time all the landmasses were together was 200 million ago when dinosaurs walked the Earth. Scientists have named that supercontinent Pangea (meaning, whole land). Prior to this, scientists believe the continents drifted around to create at least 6 other supercontinents. They are (in reverse order): Pangea, Pattonia, Rodinia, Columbia (Nuna), Kenorland, Ur and Vaalbara (though this one is only theoretical). Click here for more on this. Since the days of Pangea, the landmasses broke up and drifted (and are drifting now still, even as you read this) apart. But they can drift only so far before they crash into each other again, forming a new supercontinent. It has a while to form but it already has been given a name: Pangaea Proxima. National Geographic cartographers created a cool map that imagines what the […]

Map of Your Favorite British TV Show Settings – 2/11/19

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Scott Schiller

Are you a fan of British TV shows like Doctor Who, Sherlock, Midsomer Murders or Downton Abbey? The real-world settings of these fictional shows, and many more, are plotted out for you in a cool poster created by Chicago-based designer Tim Ritz. “The poster even zooms in to map London-specific shows on the city level, and tells you not only where shows are set, but where they’re actually shot and which channel they air on. The Great British Bake Off’s latest series was filmed in Welford Park, just west of London. The UK version of The Office is set in the same county, in Slough, about 20 miles from London. The teen drama Skins is set in Bristol, another one of those towns many Americans have heard of but may have no idea how to find on a map (it’s in South West England).” [Source: Mental Floss.com]

New Zealand Has Gone Missing! – 2/10/119

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Scott Schiller

About 900 miles east of Australia lies the sovereign country of New Zealand. It is comprised of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui), and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and around 600 smaller islands. It may not be the largest country on Earth but either island is larger than Cuba and both islands together are larger than Great Britain. So why is it that New Zealand is so often left off world maps…including the Björksta framed poster sold at IKEA (which even sells in Australia)! Atlas Obscura suggests that because of the common Mercator projection of many world maps, New Zealand’s spot in the hinterlands of the Pacific makes it easy to misplace with a thoughtless crop. New Zealanders aren’t buying it (literally), but they aren’t taking it all that seriously either. Check out the Facebook page, called World Maps Without New Zealand, which is dedicated to this comical conundrum. They have 30,000 followers who post all the places they’ve noticed their country missing on a map. New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern launched a #getnzonthemap campaign as part of a drive to encourage more visitors to the country, and comedian Rhys Darby created a 2.5 minute spoof video which aims to put New Zealand back on the […]