Cultures of cartography: towards a new research agenda

This workshop is designed to bring practitioners and researchers together to identify and explore common interests in cartographic research related to contemporary map design. The session will focus on cultural aspects of map production and user groups. It is hoped that the session will lead to some interesting new directions in map research with real long-term benefits for the profession.

The first half of the workshop (c.60mins, followed by a short break) will involve several interactive exercises interspersed with short talks which will explore issues such as cultural/national differences in map style, and differences map use and perception across diverse cultural and social groups. Can we, for example, learn from alternative mappings? Is Common Ground Parish Maps Project simply a middle-class reworking of the rural idyll, of do these maps offer a different approach to mapping a genuinely held and communal ‘sense of place’? Do artist working in areas such as ‘smell maps’ have a contribution to make to contemporary map design? Are maps in computer games simply derivative of traditional cartography or are they innovative in ways that can advance our profession?

The second half will involve a plenary session in which practitioners and researchers will share ideas and develop a research agenda to be supported by the BCS Map Design Special Interest Group.

It is envisaged that the session will lead to several specialist workshops as key research themes emerge.