[Freegis-list] sci.geo.cartography pre-RFD publicity #2

[Dan Jacobson]

Followup-To: news.groups
This is the pre-Request For Discussion (RFD) publicity [#2] for a
Usenet newsgroup I hope to create:

    sci.geo.cartography    Maps, grids, coordinates, projections, datums

Thank you for your continued input.  Full information is on
http://www.geocities.com/jidanni/cartography.html

RATIONALE: sci.geo.cartography 

"Cartography is about making aspects of our world visible, for the
sciences where georeferenced representations are critical (geography,
geology, ecology, hydrology, meteorology...)"

In many universities, cartography is taught in the geography
department.  Here in Usenet's geography/earth sciences department,
sci.geo.*, we have no cartography.  Our "Usenet University" may have
every flavor of soda pop, but with attendance levels many times larger
than any university, how can we skimp on our basic sciences?

http://www.alt-config.org/justification.htm requires we show ten
related articles per day.  We find hundreds, please see the
http://www.geocities.com/jidanni/cartography.html#tests on our
newsgroup creation campaign home page, for the entire argument.
 
Impact on existing groups: many topics in our charter are of no direct
interest to say, a professional land surveyor reading
sci.engr.surveying, nor have much to do with GPS, focus of
sci.geo.satellite-nav.  Indeed if all purely theoretical cartographic
articles were diverted from sci.geo.satellite-nav (where they are
currently posted for lack of a better place), their lack would hardly
be noticed amongst the vigorous discussions of the GPS applications
there.  Not being buried there would make them more accessible to
non-GPS parties.

CHARTER: sci.geo.cartography

sci.geo.cartography is an unmoderated group for discussing maps and
mapping.

Antique to high tech e-maps, parchment to on-line; historical, street,
terrain, topographic, travel, aviation, property, and even buried
treasure maps, tactile maps for the blind, gazetteers.  Collecting
maps, trip routing, mapping software, history of mapmaking,
map-related careers.

Legal implications: territorial declaration, liability for disasters
due to errors on maps, government control of maps and content,
national security restrictions; fees charged by governments for maps
made with taxpayers' money, of taxpayers' land; inter-agency fees;
copyright and freedom of geographic information, the map publishing
business, map availability, geographic information hoarding and
monopolization, distortion: both political and geographical, cultural
influences on map makers.

Field map skills, map education; What makes a good map?  Does this map
engender a feeling of trust?  Are your fellow countrymen map-oriented
or map-ignorant?  How and with what tools might one best describe a
geographical location so it can be found easily by the majority?

Grids: from military to house numbers; projections, coordinates,
datums, ellipsoids, spheroids, great circles, loxodromes, 3-d & relief
shading techniques, insets, turn points, landmarks, making
maps easy to read, best ways to fold maps, map typography, eye
movements & maps.  Address and location naming and numbering systems.

"Nowadays, precise coordinates are vital for mission success.
Ignoring the fine print in the margin of a map could get you killed!
Find out what datum is on your map."
-- 
http://www.geocities.com/jidanni/ Tel+886-4-25854780