Mapmaking, or cartography, is a practice that has been in existence almost since man has. Since drawing maps of how to get to places in the sand to the digital world of mapmaking today, the history of maps has jumped by leaps and bounds. However, some historians wonder if the ability to GPS (Global Positioning System) is inhibiting our natural ability to find places on our own. SITECH Rocky Mountain offers incredible technology for industries to utilize in order to maximize their processes and efficiencies. Some of these include construction project management software, machine control and grading control solutions, and rail solutions. We’ve recently embraced the new technology of drone surveying, and we are a proud authorized Wingtra distributor. Below, we’ll take a look at the history of mapping technology. Contact our Aurora office today!
HISTORY OF MAPPING TECHNOLOGY
Ancient Mapmaking
Like most things in ancient history, no one truly knows the first “map.” Ancient cave drawings and wall 
paintings could be considered primitive maps that guided people to certain areas, perhaps hunting grounds or places to find food, such as berries. One of the earliest surviving maps that is most definitely a map comes to us from ancient Babylonia. Drawn on a clay tablet dated to around 700 BC, this map shows the kingdom of Babylon, the Euphrates River, the ocean, and a few other nations, such as Assyria.
Early maps weren’t about accuracy; in fact, they were a form of art. If you look at old maps, you’ll see many drawings of mythical creatures peppering them, as well as other landforms and animals. In fact, it was Ptolemy for ancient Greece who made the first attempt to make a realistic map that was true to size and location. He was an astronomer, and he was more interested in making better horoscopes for his clients rather than better maps to navigate by. He invented the idea of longitude and latitude and plotted locations on flat maps, knowing the earth was indeed flat. Of course, the Middle Ages erased all this innovation in the world of mapmaking.
Commerce Changed Mapmaking for Good
You could say that the rise in globalization changed mapmaking for good. As technology began to boom 
in the sixteenth and seventeenth century and as the Age of Exploration began to kick into high gear, accurate maps were essential if you wanted to make it across the Atlantic Ocean or around the Cape of Good Hope.
In fact, you can even blame Ptolemy for Columbus’ mistakes as he sailed to America. Columbus based his maps on Ptolemy’s. The problem was that Ptolemy calculated the world as 30% smaller than it actually is. Plus, he used Arabian miles, which were longer than Italian ones. These mistakes led Columbus to believe India was only a hop, skip, and a jump away. In truth, Ptolemy helped discover America, too!
In the beginning, navigators only cared about the coastlines, which is why you’ll see old maps with huge inland blank spaces marked as “terra incognita.” Mercator came along in 1569 and figures out that by gradually widening the land and the ocean the closer you got to the poles, the more accurate they would be on a flat map. Of course, this led to people thinking Canada and Russia were huge countries (which they are), but even bigger than today.
HISTORY OF MAPPING TECHNOLOGY, PART 2
Fueling Exploration
The reason maps were so popular and continue to be so is because they are a visual tool to navigate by. 
How many movies have you seen with treasure maps in foreign languages? Yet, the stars still found the buried treasure. Maps have the ability to convey information in a glance, making them useful for everyone. Maps began to be signs of wealth and knowledge in the sixteenth century. People displayed them like they displayed tapestries to show all visitors how learned they were. Because maps conveyed information, they became valuable in their own right, and those who had maps became powerful. For example, if you knew the layout of a land before a big battle and the enemy did not, you had a huge advantage. Kings knew how much land they had for taxes. Explorers had a sense that the world was a vast place for the taking, propelling exploration even further. Take Lewis and Clark. The map they had of the territory west of the Mississippi River showed one mountain range that appeared to be simple to go over. Lewis and Clark had no idea that the journey they were about to undertake would last over two years and take them through extreme weather conditions, rough terrain, treacherous waters, disease, hostile Natives, starvation, injuries, and death. The question begs asking: would they have agreed to go knowing what they knew after the fact? Maps were so valuable to early sailors that they were considered booty. Pirates would seize maps that showed the terrain of lands that then allowed them to hide from detection and ambush other ships for even more booty. Surveying was important in the settlement of America as colonists made land claims based on surveys. Even George Washington himself was a mapmaker, a skill he’d use to route the enemy later on. As time marched on, maps only got more accurate. Newer mathematical technology and better measurements, including better surveying equipment, allowed for ever-increasing accuracy when it came to the terrain of the land. Binocular lenses helped with surveying, too. Maps began to show more than just the terrain, with maps of income levels, population, and cultures appearing, too. In fact, banks began to redline poor neighborhoods and not lend money to anyone who lived in certain areas based on a map. 
MAPS IN THE MODERN ERA
Maps are most certainly not dead. Winston Churchill used maps to defeat the Axis Powers and defend Britain during World War II. He had a “map room” that was underground where he used pins to denote important locations, battles, and use for strategy. His bedroom had a huge map of Britain’s coast, which he would study non-stop so he could understand how to defend his nation from invasion. 
CHOOSE SITECH ROCKY MOUNTAIN TODAY
There is no doubt that surveying would not be what it is today without those who have gone before us. One cannot underestimate the importance of being able to accurately map what the surface of the land is like, it’s elevation, it’s landforms, where a river starts and stops, and so much more. For almost any industry, from construction and mining to forestry and agriculture, having the ability to know the land makes planning, implementing, and completing jobs so much easier.
SITECH Rocky Mountain offers amazing surveying equipment for your use. We also offer survey equipment rental and repair. We understand how important knowing the terrain is to your operations, which is why we’ve made it super easy to use our survey equipment. In addition, we offer the best construction management software, as well as to many other types of software in order to help your business thrive. We offer our VisionLink system, Tracker RFID System, Trimble Inspection Solutions, and so much more. Having the ability to incorporate real time data can help you maximize the efficiency of your machines, your crews, and your project.
SITECH Rocky Mountain serves Colorado, New Mexico, and far west Texas with the best technology that has been built by others over centuries. Now, with the advent of drone technology, the next phase in building projects, farming, logging, mining, and more will be even more exciting. Reach out to our team to learn more today!
