CIA Cartography Division 75th Anniversary

For decades the CIA relied on geographers and cartographers for planning and executing operations around the world.  During the 1940’s in support of the military’s efforts in WWII, cartographers pioneered many map production and thematic design techniques, including the construction of 3D map models.  To celebrate 75 years of serious cartography, the Central Intelligence Agency has declassified and put decades of once secret maps online.  Check it out!

ciamap

You can read more about it here too.

 

New Maps Plus Program

Thinking about developing your skills in digital mapping?  Then check out University of Kentucky’s New Maps Plus program.

New Maps Plus is a completely online program consisting of three courses (MAP671, MAP672, and MAP673) that focus on online and open source mapping solutions (like QGIS), JavaScript programming, and cartographic design for the web.  Students completing the program will earn a Graduate Certificate in Digital Mapping from the UK Geography Department and the College of Arts & Sciences.  The courses are taught during 10-week terms that are offered four times a year (see schedule).  The next term will be starting January 23rd, with an application deadline of January 8th.

The 2016-17 academic year cost per credit hour is $639.50, plus a $10 per credit hour distance learning fee. Thus the MAP 671 course (3 credits) costs $1948.50 and the MAP 672/673 courses (4 credits) cost $2598 each.

Check it out by clicking below:

newmapsplus

Pearl Harbor Attack Map

Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.  On this date 75 years ago, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces, leaving over 3,400 casualties and pushing the U.S. to join the Allies in World War II.

National Geographic has an interesting site with an audio/visual timeline tour showing what went down during that day through attack maps.  Check it out!

pearlharbor

Maps Looking For A Home

San Diego map collector, William Speidel, would like to donate his map collection of about 1,000 maps to a library, geography or geology department in the United States.  The collection is current with maps dating from the 1960s to the 2000s.  While the collection would be a donation, the accepting library would need to pay for the mailing of materials.  Included in the donation are the following types of maps: * Nautical charts (Alaska, Australia, China, Japan, US Gulf of Mexico, US Pacific, US Atlantic, Thailand, Vietnam, Western Mediterranean); * Bathymetric charts (Australia, US Atlantic, California, China, Gulf of California, Thailand); * USGS topographic maps (1:24k, 1:62.5K) (California, Arizona, Texas, Mississippi, etc.); * Other maps including miscellaneous geologic maps, Gebco Charts, soil charts, sediment distribution.  Excel spreadsheets are available detailing the full collection.

Mr. Speidel is interested in the whole collection going to one library rather than breaking it up into pieces.  If you are interested, please contact Julie Sweetkind-Singer (sweetkind@stanford.edu) and she will pass along his contact information and the spreadsheets to you directly.