storm: know your way... to KLCC?? thats easy...

Pusing here... pusing there... sampai lah. Hmmmm... how do you actually navigate around the roads, signs or hop on the public transport. Those from KL or PJ have it at the back of their mind... but how do we tell this to a friend from Penang or JB?? You grab a paper and sketch .... a Map.

Maps ... well... yeah... I would say maps are kinda like a representation of space. A guide to navigation and relationships between objects of space. The science and art of map making is also known as cartography. One of the most famous cartographer of all time is Gerardus Mercator who introduced techniques of meridians and parallels of latitude by straight lines ar right angles.
Actually man has been fascinated with space, navigation and its form since Stone Age... think about it... how do I know where is the best place to hunt... how do I records the different sources of food and water... u need navigation... thats the beginning of maps. Another form of important maps are transportation... rivers, paths, hunting trail, hiking path... now in modern times its road maps, nautical charts and rail networks.

However, not all modern maps focus on accuracy. There is a delibrate intention to make maps innaccurate... but readable. This is the beauty of map making... its an art ... a skill. Most readable maps such as road maps, topographic maps, town plans or transport plans sacrifice accuracy in scale to deliver visual usefulness to the user... for example shifting the location of buildings or widening roads to create some readable effect.

For me personally... I have always been fascinated with the globe... since a kid. The different patterns, lines, text and colours that make the globe is inspirational. I always thought what a cool job that must be... to draw all those countries... must be nice to know all those places... travel to all those great cities. How interesting.