1
Mátyás MÁRTON, lecturer
Eötvös Loránd University
Faculty of Science
Department of Cartography
Ludovika tér 2
Budapest
Hungary
H-1083
Telephone: (36-1) 134-2785
2
Germany, Cologne (Köln)
16th International Conference
of the International Cartographic Association
3—9 May 1993
Conference programme:
3 May 1993
Working Group and Commission Meetings of the International Cartographic Association
3 May 1993
Open Meetings of the German Cartographers Working Groups (Presentations were delivered in German and interpreted simultaneously into English)
4 May 1993
Joint Opening Ceremony of the 16th International Cartographic Conference and the 42nd Annual Meeting of German Cartographers
4—8 May 1993
Plenary Sessions of the 16th International Cartographic Conference (Three parallel sessions were held)
4—8 May 1993
Poster Presentations
4—8 May 1993
Map Exhibition
4—5 May 1993
Sessions of the 42nd Annual Meeting of German Cartographers (Presentations were delivered in German and interpreted simultaneously into English)
5—8 May 1993
"Geotechnika" International Trade Fair and Congress for Geo-sciences and Technology
6 May 1993
Technical Excursions (I could not take part in it)
8 May 1993
Closing Ceremony of the 16th International Cartographic Conference
9 May 1993
Romantic Rhine boat trip (I could not take part in it)
3—5
Everything was all right. Pleasant journey by car; well organized conference, friendly people; good lodging. Thanks for everything.
6
The 16th International Cartographic Conference of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) was held in Cologne (Köln), Germany between 3rd and 9th May 1993. The conference theme was "Maps for Knowledge, Action and Development". Three parallel sessions were held. Plenary session themes were:
— New Tasks, New Techniques, New Terms
— Navigation System, Tourism Cartography
— Mapping Statistics
— Neural Nets, Cartographic Generalization
— Mass Media Cartography
— Mapping Land Use
— Knowledge-based Mapping Systems
— Maps for Protection and Disaster Prevention
— Map-based Information Systems
— Atlas Cartography
— Cartographic Modelling of Geographic Information, Map Revision
— Space and Map Perception and Language Representation
— Space and Map Perception, Cartographic Design
— Interactive and Educational Cartography
— Marketing Cartographic Data
— Multi Media Displays and Hypermapping
Held concurrently was the 42nd Annual Meeting of German Cartographers (4th and 5th of May) with the theme of" German Cartography within the European context". This meeting examined the following topics both from German and European viewpoints:
— Topographical Cartography
— Thematic Cartography
— Cartography and Geoinformation
— Cartography's Occupational Scope
Also conducted was the gigantic "Geotechnika", an international trade fair and congress for geo-sciences and tecnology with about 650 exhibitors! (between 5th and 8th of May).
The Map Exhibition was quite extensive and it was gratifying for me (as I am interested in marine cartography as well) to see more marine charts and maps than I had ever noticed before on display. It was also interesting that the exhibit also contained displays of children's maps for Barbara Petchinic Prize.
There was a Poster Session with about 30 items as well.
Some trends were apparent:
— electronic mapping and Geographical Information System (GIS) is now cartography and a distinction is only rarely made between any of the 'branches' of Cartography;
— there is an increasing awareness of the potential of multimedia technology with many interested in applying this technology to mapping, charting and geographic information management;
— there is an increasing acceptance that the technology of systems is a given with a consequent shift in concentrating on their use and application;
— there is an increasing integration of mapping/charting data into integrated systems, such as the electronic chart and kinetic mapping systems.
Three goals of the journey were planned:
1. To take part the work of the ICA Working Group on Marine Cartography
2. To listen to presentations on the state of computer-assisted cartography
3. To listen to lectures about the themes of environmental cartography
ad 1
On the 3rd of May our Working Group on Marine Cartography had its meeting. I gave a copy of my "Report on the state of the Multilingual gazetteer of the seas and undersea features", and a copy of the work to our chairman, Mr. Ronald A. Furness (from Australia), and spoke some words about the state of this work. (A part of the chairman's letter is enclosed together with the new list of the members of our Working Group.)
The above mentioned theme was accepted by our Working Group, when the ICA Conference was held in Budapest, in 1989.
The first part of this work "The multilingual gazetteer of
the Arctic Ocean" had been completed just before the
conference as far as I could make it. It consists of two
main parts: the SEAS and the UNDERSEA FEATURES, and
containes ten chapters and four maps as follows:
SEAS
Map 1: Boundaries of the seas from different sources
Map 2: Boundary of the Arctic Ocean based on
structuralÄmorphological lines
I. The names of the seas
II. Index (Latin)
III. Index (Cyrillic)
IV. The origin of the names
UNDERSEA FEATURES
Map 3: Relief map of the Arctic Ocean
Map 4: Boundaries and codes of undersea features
V. The names of the undersea features
VI. Index (Latin)
VII. Index (Cyrillic)
VIII. The origin of the names
IX. Generic terms in geographical names and definitions of
undersea features (in English, French, German, Czech,
Russian, Hungarian)
X. Sources, literature
This gazetteer contains Hungarian, English, German, Czech and Russian names and definitions using the original forms of the names (no transliteration or transcription). To tell the truth, French names are missing because I could not find good French source material (authentic maps or a gazetteer) in Hungary.
The database is on PC computer. We used DBASE software. Maps were made by traditional cartographic methods.
During the work, the studying the foreign names brought me to determine the rules of the construction of correct Hungarian names for undersea features corresponding to the decisions and recommendations of the United Nations' Conferences on the Standardization on Geographical Names. There is no place here to summarise the results in detaile, and it is not necessary either, because it is important only for Hungarian cartographers. The only thing I have to mention here is that the most important question to solve the problem of constructing different national names in a correct way is to determine those types of names that, according to the international practice, we can translate. That is why very useful studying geographical names of undersea features (and any other geographical objects) in different languages for constructing correct national names.
We continued this work for the North Atlantic and the North Pacific Oceans with the help of students at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. But these maps are on PC as well. These parts of the work have also been completed. I will send these volumes to Mr. Furness as soon as possible.
We plan to create a GIS for the seas and undersea features of the World Ocean using Map/Info software.
An undersea feature is a delimited geographic area with different kinds of associated attributes or characteristics (first of all its name, its morphological character, vertical and horizontal dimensions: relative height to its surroundigs, absolute depth of its highest point from the sea level etc.). Though submarine objects are delimited areas, in most cases it is not enough for their localization to give a pair of coordinates.
Undersea features (spatial objects of the Earth's solid surface) such as other morphological features on lands can be divided into the following main groups from the point of view of a GIS.
A point is a spatial object with "no area". Seamounts or tablemounts, for example are undersea features, which can be localized by a pair of coordinates.
A line is a spatial object made of a connected sequence of points. Lines have "no width". Such object can be a submarine canyon, a shelf valley or a trench.
Nodes are special kinds of points usually indicating the junction between lines or the ends of line segments. (E.g. a connecting point of a shelf valley to a canyon.)
A polygon is a closed area. Simple polygons are undivided areas, while complex polygons are divided into areas of different characteristics. The Eurasia Basin in the Arctic Ocean is a complex polygon, because it is divided into three large parts: the Fram Basin, the Nansen Cordillera and the Nansen Basin, which are also separately complex poligons containing different areas of different characteristics such as subbasins, abyssal plains etc.
Chains are special kinds of line segments, which correspond to a portion of the bounding edge of a polygon. (For example a trench can be a part of the "contour line" of a basin.)
It is evident that lines, polygons and chains cannot be localized by a pair of coordinates.
One of the basic material to construct a GIS is a well chosen map or maps (the map itself is an analogue information system). If we look through the content of the "Multilingual gazetteer of the Arctic Ocean" we can see that it is a good database for an information system based, for example, on using "Map/Info". It contains all the maps needed for a medium level representation of the relief of the sea floor; it contains all the maps needed for a medium level representation of the boundaries of the seas and of the main undersea features; it contains all the needed information for the official English and Hungarian names and (French), German, Russian and Czech name variants for both the seas and the undersea features, and we can find in it too, where the names came from (it tell us their origin as well). We think to supplement this completed system with a new code number which would be useful at the selection of the objects represented, depending on the scale of the map compiled.
That is why I think it very important to complete the above mentioned work for the whole World Ocean. When we finish this work at the university we shall have a good database for the compilation of all small scale maps of the oceans and seas from the scale of 1:2.500.000 to the scale of 1:80.000.000; for all kinds of general geographic maps, world map series, wall maps, atlases and globes.
ad 2 and 3
There were a huge number of presentation at the conference connecting with computer-assisted cartographic methods and geographical information systems. There also were a great number of lectures about different themes of environmental cartography. Most of the later presentations gave a brief summary about cartographic methods that can help us in the solution of different local environmental problems.
Both for lecturers and students at the university — I think — it is very important to get the latest results of computer—aided cartographic technologies. It is important not only from the point of view of cartography but the point of view of the fight against the pollution of environment.
The traditional methods of map-making use lots of chemicals. They are hazardous materials for our environment. The latest computer-assisted methods in cartography make it possible to compile and draw a map on the computer display, to check it there, make it possible to get only those final films which are needed for printing. No more environment-polluting map-making!
On "Geotechnika" I have the possibility for three important discussion with leading experts of different companies.
— First I have to mention Mr. János Szép, the director of the INTERGRAPH HUNGARY LTD. At the INTERGAPH's stand I could study the latest developments of the company: first of all a software which can help cartographers to solve one of the most critical problems of map-making — automatical generalization. (After the conference the Faculty of Science of the Eötvös Lor nd University could afford to buy an INTERGRAPH workstation. Perhaps we can buy the mentioned software as well.)
— It was another important discussion for me the one with the representatives of the T-KARTOR. Mr. Sten Ravhed, managing director and his assistance Mrs. Anki Svärdby, developer gave a detailed demonstration of their software "Cartographics" which has been developed by a group of the company, the GeoMation. This is a user-friend, menu-driven programme, based upon the use of databases comming from the world's leading GIS software ARC/INFO. As far as I could see it is very easy to learn. (I hope that we can buy this programme for the Cartographic Department of the Eötvös Loránd University. The reduced price for universities is about 2,500 dollars.)
— There is just another discussion I have to mention. Barco Graphics, one of the European largest manufacturers of phototooling systems for graphic arts and industrial graphics has developed an electronic cartographic publishing system, the "Mercator". This is a WYSIWYG system (what you see is what you get). As far as I could see this is a very suitable system for those cartographic companies which make first of all thematic maps (and can afford to pay the price for this system).
7
— After this conference in Köln, GIS/LIS '93 . HUNGARY (an International Conference and Exhibition on Geographical Information Systems/Land Information Systems) were held in Budapest between 8th and 11th June 1993, where I had a presentation. The title was "Multilingual Gazetteer of Undersea Features: A special application of GIS".
— I plan a presentation about the 16th International Conference of ICA at the Hungarian Society of Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (Magyar Földmérési, Térképészeti és Távérzékelési Társaság) in October or November.
— I am one of the editors of NCGIA Core Curriculum (Hungarian Version). This is a GIS book for lecturers.
— I am a lecturer of the Department of Cartography of the Eötvös Loránd University, teaching Atlas cartography and GIS, giving special lectures on undersea features, their names and cartographic representation.
All of these themes connect with different presentations of the conference.
8
János Szép
Director
INTERGRAPH HUNGARY LTD
Bosnyák tér 5
H-1145 Budapest
Hungary
Sten Ravhed
Managing Director
T-KARTOR
Häggvägen 2
S-291 50 Kristianstad
Sweden
Anki Svärdby
Developer
T-KARTOR
GeoMation
Pelle Bergs Backe 3
S-791 81 Falun
Sweden
Jean-Pierre De Moor
Product Manager
BARCO GRAPHICS
Cartographic Systems
Nieuwevaart 153
B-9000 Gent
Belgium
Ronald A. Furness
Chairman
ICA Working Group on Marine Cartography
93 Ashworth Avenue
Belrose NSW 2085
Australia
Others
See the enclosed new list of the members
of the Working Group.
Budakeszi, 10th August 1993
Mátyás MÁRTON