The changing world of cartography and GIS

Are you confused and overwhelmed when it comes to digital mapping tools and technology? Don't worry you are not alone! This area of expertise has mushroomed in recent years, providing multiple options to get the job done.

Like many disciplines, cartography - the art and science of creating geographical maps, has changed rapidly with the advance of the world wide web and digitization of information. Gadgets once reserved for science fiction fans are now common place approaches for solving problems.

To help guide you to the resources that best matches your project needs consider these questions first. I want to:

1. find maps

• from particular agencies
• around a particular theme
• from certain geographic areas
  

2. create maps

• on my own
• with other people
  

3. find information to add to a map

• from the province of BC
• from the federal government
• from a local government
• from public warehouses
  

4. analyze spatial information

• using the most economical tools available
  
• using the most sophisticated tools available

5. find someone to help me with my mapping needs

• without paying for the service
• by paying for this service
  

Many tools and resources available will provide help on several of the above but these questions will help with the planning process to get started. Like everything, time and resources are of the essence, so it's good practice to determine who is going to do what and how much time and money is available for those tasks.


Google Earth is considered an earth browser as in you can search geographically referenced information via the Google Earth interface the same way you use an internet browser to search for information stored digitally on the web.
Download and learn how to use Google Earth