Elements of Multimedia Cartography

Abstract

The communication of spatial information in the form of maps is in the midst of a revolution. The origins of this dramatic change can be largely traced to the mid-1980s and the introduction of improved interfaces with computers that made their use both easier and more widespread. For cartography, this interface made interaction in the display of maps feasible. Previous to this, computers had been used primarily to help in the process of producing maps on paper. Advances in data storage (CD-ROM / DVD) and the Internet (World Wide Web) during the late 1980's and 1990's contributed to a second wave of cartographic development in the area of multimedia.