Kraak M.-J., Ormeling F. Cartography: Visualization of Geospatial Data

3d edition. — Pearson Education Limited, 2010. — 249 p.This book explains how geospatial data can be visualized and analysed, and shows the background against which the provision and visualization of geospatial information takes place. It provides awareness of the web both as a spatial data source and as a means for distributing the results of visualizing this spatial information. As such the contents of this book have changed over time, in order to reflect IT developments: in the preface of the second edition, written at the beginning of 2002, we signalled the emergence of the World Wide Web as a prime geo-information source and dissemination medium. Consequently we changed the focus of the book, and that proved to be a good move since the position of the web has strengthened and stabilized itself. It also stimulated a more integrative approach to problem solving with geo-information (GIScience). Another development stimulated by the web was the increased use of Spatial Data Infrastructures, for sharing national and global geodata with the professional and general public (under the motto ‘collect once, use many times’). But the largest impact since the second edition of the book was published in 2002 probably has been the advent of online mapping systems like Google Earth/Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth. It is their worldwide detailed coverage and the ability for users to add their own data that form the success factors of these products and that addicted so many people to maps.