Mapping the World, One Pixel at a Time

Credit: NMFS

We as humans have a natural tendency to describe our surroundings.  We need only look to historical accounts and museum artifacts to see that societies have been mapping the world since the dawn of exploration.  Today in the 21^st century, it would be easy to assume that everything has been mapped and that satellites have driven cartographers to obsoletion.  However, I would argue that some mystery and allure still remain.  Even though there are few coastlines that need to be redefined or underwater gorges that need be discovered, the art of mapping could unlock technological tools that integrate information across disciplines, inform management, and bring unimagined places into school classrooms. 

Bering Straight, courtesy of NASA

Modern mapping is arising as an incredible tool for overlaying knowledge from all kinds of different sources.  By combining everything from recreation, resource values, pollution hotspots, or construction projects, mappers can actually produce new pieces of interdisciplinary information that can be used for spatial planning now and into the future.  One of the regions where this is particularly true is in the U.S. Arctic, specifically the Bering Straight, which is emerging as one of the most contentious stretches of sea on the planet.  Some covet the Bering Strait for its shipping potential, others see an area with dangerously insufficient infrastructure, while still others fear for the countless species that depend on the narrow channel for transiting between foraging and mating grounds.  Russia and the U.S. share jurisdiction in these waters that span a mere 53 miles across, with the shared Diomede Islands directly in the middle.  When I first arrived in DC, I spent some time investigating existing mapping tools that might inform this conservation and management nightmare, and was surprised by the relative wealth of information that I found not only for the Alaskan arctic but for all our nation’s coastline.

Bowhead whale habitat use

As it turns out, NOAA is a leader in coastal mapping efforts, with the Multipurpose Marine Cadastre, OCRM In Your State, National Geophysical Data Center, and Shorezone, to name a few.  Not only are these maps helpful for managers and researchers, but the aesthetic quality would make any early cartographer proud.  I would go as far as arguing that the beauty of these maps is what makes them such effective educational tools.  NOAA is also not alone on this frontier: the Audubon Society recently partnered with Oceana to create the Arctic Marine Synthesis Atlas (scroll down to your favorite topic and check out the relevant maps!).  

Credit: NASA

All around the world, maps are being drawn and redrawn each year, with new and valuable information generated with each iteration.  With the increasing complexity of images and layers, it is likely impossible to depict the comprehensive realities of the natural and human landscapes in two dimensions.  In fact, with all these advanced and detailed tools, manipulating what a map conveys can be done in a few simple clicks.  In this way, while our experts rely on objective scientific data, we all still have the power to influence the range of truths that can be portrayed about our favorite city, beach, or watershed.  This ability to shape our realities has become even more accessible through the development of community-based GIS and it’s many applications such as stories and clips within Google Ocean.  If we can integrate personal accounts of ocean adventures with objective oceanography (bathymetry, paleochemistry, etc.), who knows what innovations will inspire us and help expose the mysteries of the deep.  Next time you sense that everything is known about a given place, think about all the infinite layers of information that could be combined to reveal new and unique insights from the past and into the future.