Whither Cartography?

In past decades, several journal articles have surfaced related to the question of whither.

Not to be confused with wither, whither is a term that means 'to which place' or 'where'.  Articles like:

1. Whither Political Geography? - Jackson 1958  Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 178-183, Volume 48, Issue 2,
2. Whither Geography? - Van Cleef 1971 The Professional Geographer, 344-346, Volume 23, Issue 4,
3. Whither Electral Geography? - Rumley 1975 Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 342-343, Volume 65, Issue 2,
4. Whither Spatial Statistics? - Gaile 1990 The Professional Geographer, 95-100, Volume 42, Issue 1,
5. Whither Geography? - Harman 2003 The Professional Geographer, 415-421, Volume 55, Issue 4,
6. Whiter Parity? The Need for a Comprehensive Curriculum in Human-Environment Geography Yarnal & Neff 2004 The Professional Geographer, 28-56, Volume 56, Issue 1,
7. Whither Physical Geography? - Rhoads 2004 Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 748-755, Volume 94, Issue 4,
8."Whither Geography?" Concluded: Is Geography Graduate Education Mission One of Its Targets? - Harmon 2005, The Professional Geographer, 130-139, Volume 57, Issue 1,
9.  Whither Critical Inquiry - Pendras 2006 The Professional Geographer, 99-103, Volume 58, Issue 1

So I ask Whither Cartography?

The relevance of cartography seems to be at all-time high. Everyone is a cartographer.  Online maps and mapping make it possible for all people to make maps. Just check out Google Maps and you can make a directional map for walking between points A & B.

But is everyone really a cartographer? This answer is no. Cartography is much more than just making an online map. It about directed communication. Applications like http://mapapps.esri.com/create-map/index.html , help us distinguish between the mundane general reference and the thematic.

The future certainly is in the creation of online thematic application maps. KML is a whole new world for creativity and the best of the Look of Maps. So go and be creative and communicate your message and apply the art and science of cartography.

Map courtesy of one of my excellent students, Seth K.