Creative Cartography in our Digital World

There’s never been a more exciting time to be a cartographer than now! In fact, when it comes to defining society in the spaces where we live, we all participate in cartography in one way or another. This talk will encourage the entire audience to create maps, and to do so with boldness and creativity. We’ll touch upon some cartography rules, why they are important, and how to expertly break them.

With the advent of computer mapping, a lot of energy in the field of mapping was invested in software and hardware development, empowering map makers to perform complex scientific analyses. This development has made it easier for more people to access the skill of mapping and Geographical Information Science (GIS). Come see how today’s cartographers are intentionally integrating intense creativity into their mapping techniques, oftentimes inspired by pre-computerized cartographic aesthetics. 

About the Speaker

Sarah Bell
Sarah Bell

Sarah Bell is a cartographer and dataviz designer at Esri. Her cartography trajectory began at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after which she pursued her M.S. in Geography at Western Washington University. At Esri, Sarah creates interactive and static maps and data-visualization, and also works on the Maps for Creative Cloud software design team. You can find some of her work on the ArcGIS blog at bit.ly/sarahbellesriblog and @sarahbellmaps on social media platforms. 

 

This talk is part of Geography Awareness Week and is co-sponsored by WWU's Wilson Library Map Collection and the Huxley Spatial Institute.
See also The Story of the Salish Sea Map (part of the Speaking of Maps series at Wilson Library).

Environmental Speaker Series

The Environmental Speaker Series is hosted by the College of the Environment at Western Washington University.

The Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30 pm in Academic Instructional Center West room 204 - AW-204. Talks will also be streamed via zoom. Register with the Alumni Association for the zoom link. Paid parking is available in lot C.

Learn more about the Environmental Speaker Series
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