Mapping Elevation at the LDEO web site

In books and atlases we see maps that show us an image of the subject being mapped. Each map in the book or atlas was produced by an individual and the map you see is the one that person decided best communicated the message the author wanted you to see.

Cartographic Visualization is a new area of research in the discipline of cartography. The idea in visualization is that the map user can create his or her own maps and in the process can explore the subjects being mapped. Rather than seeing a single map created by someone else, the user gets to create his or her own map, or maps.  I note maps because there is no reason to believe that only one map communicates all of the dimensions of the subject.

The LDEO web site permits users to create their own maps of elevation and bathymetry.  This site can be considered to be a cartographic visualization tool. At this site the user gets to select depths and elevations to be shown by different colors. In the process a great variety of maps can be created of the same subject. And, the user can go back and refine the map by changing colors or revising the breaks between the many colors.  One can play with the map to mold and shape it into an attractive image of the world.  And, in the process the user gains insight into the nature of bathymetry.

The LDEO site has the gallery of maps created by persons visiting the site. A sampling of the maps in the gallery show how many different ways the subject of elevation and bathymetry can be portrayed using this tool.  Some of the maps in the gallery have been created by children as young as seven years old.  Check out map 385, which was done by someone much older than seven.  

LDEO is the acronym for the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observation of Columbia University in New York City.  There are many dimensions to their web site.  The master page for the LDEO organization is http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/  Under research click on the Climate Group which takes you to the LDEO Climate Modeling Group.  Again, there is good stuff here.  Click on Projects and go to the Open House.  That takes you to the Climate Group Exhibit Hall.  From there click on Color the World.  That takes you to http://rainbow.ldeo.columbia.edu/exhibits/worldcolor  and the mapping program reviewed here.

I have used the LDEO site to create maps and to explore the many possibilities.  Below is one of the maps I created at the site.  I then copied this map with 'print screen' and cropped it in a photo processing program.  

The map above shows elevations above sea level and depths below sea level. I selected the classes to distinguish the shallow waters extending to only 200 meters deep. I also had my lowest class of elevation extend from sea level to 200 meters in height.  Note the legend bar that is included with the map.

Students' Maps

Spring Semesters 2001, 2002 and 2003 one of the projects in Physical Geography II was to make a collection of web pages using this mapping program.  Click to see the MASTER PAGE with links to all of the student pages and a diagram of hypsometry from our text.

Additional Examples

Below are some other examples I created at the LDEO site.  I designed the first map to emphasize depths in the oceans and lakes. In this map all elevations above sea level are shown in a single color--dark red, a dry color designed to stand apart from the water. The shallow depths are shown in white, making a good contrast with the land above sea level. On this map the shallow nature of some areas stand out, particularly Hudson Bay, Bering Sea, the area east of the Malay Peninsula and the area north of Australia.

For my course in weather I created another map using the LDEO site in which the focus was on the elevations above sea level and the oceans were not differentiated. That example is below.

In this example I did not include the legend from the LDEO site, nor did I include the grid lines surrounding the map.  Further, for this example I re-centered the map on Europe and Africa by rebuilding the graphic in an image processing program.