[comp.graphics.visualization] Cartography reference

eugene@nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya) (04/09/91)

A LOT of people are asking me for an introductory reference on cartography.
1) TO tell you the truth, it's been about 10 years since I had my
cartography classes and was working for JPL (imaging radar).  My suggestion
is to check the references at the end of the "How-To" book (it's cheap,
you can afford to 'throw away' $13).  I spend my time now benchmarking
(an application of visualization) and I've not even been able to read
comp.benchmarking for over a week.  I read this because a) I ran the
Bay Area ACM/SIGGRAPH group, and b) helped to start it's Technical Interest
Group in SV.

2) If you absolutely need a reference, you should understand my bias
is toward remote sensing and image processing.  The book I recommend
as a start is aerial photography based, but also has applications
in other areas.  That book is Paul Wolf's Elements of Photogrammetry.
I found this a good simple book with application as well to X-ray
photogrammetry, etc.  The book is about how contour maps are made
(obviously you need some math, the book is 50% trig).  It is my opinion
this is the direction "visualization" will go whether you understand why or
not.  It's quantitative, and potentially predictive (e.g., "based on the
mass & volume of material, determine the force of the St.Helens eruption."
simple observation won't tell you that, and that is what gets published.).
Mark Levoy seemed very interested when I show him my copy of Wolf, and
my copy is currently in the hands of RS/6000 people at TJW.
Also try library searches using "surveying."

Back to benchmarking.

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  Resident Cynic, Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers
  {uunet,mailrus,other gateways}!ames!eugene

slamont@network.ucsd.edu (Steve Lamont) (04/11/91)

In article <1991Apr8.173634.15135@nas.nasa.gov> eugene@wilbur.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya) writes:
>A LOT of people are asking me for an introductory reference on cartography.

An *excellent* reference is _Map Projections -- A Working Manual_, US
Geological Survey Professional Paper 1395, by John P. Snyder, available from
the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402.  The Superintendent of Documents number is I 19.16:1395.  It is $20.00
according to the sticker on the inside of my (well, actually the Navy's) copy.
This has *everything* that you might want to know to get started in fiddling
with map projections, including satellit tracks, etc.

							spl (the p stands for
							polar stereographic
							projection)
-- 
Steve Lamont, SciViGuy -- (408) 646-2752 -- a guest at network.ucsd.edu --
NPS Confuser Center / Code 51 / Naval Postgraduate School / Monterey, CA 93943
"The only way to deal with exploiters is to terrorize the bastards."
				- The late Congressmember Phillip Burton

robeson@brahms.udel.edu (Scott M Robeson) (04/11/91)

A few more that are readily available in most university libraries:

o Richardus, P. and R. Adler (1972) "Map Projections," North-Holland.
o Pearson, F. (1990) "Map Projections, Theory and Applications," CRC Press.