The author made several trips to the beautiful Emerald Isle (Ireland) at the beginning of this century. Based on this he has created an “alternative” travel guide. It includes a tour around the island where the most important places are visited from a topographic, geological and archaeological/historical perspective. Twenty-one sights on the island are visited during a counter-clockwise tour along the coast. With your own or rented car or camper, the complete tour can be done in just as many days (3 weeks).

Developing a cartographic viewer for raster-based Digital Terrain Models In the past, the collection, processing and presentation of elevation data (in the form of maps) was an extremely time-consuming and a specialized activity. The story in this book shows that today, through the application of advanced remote sensing techniques and computer graphics, this can be almost completely automated. Even a “simple” programming language like JavaScript can be used for the final presentation.

Almost everyone uses a Route Navigation System these days, sometimes even daily. This book covers the (technical) “story behind it”. It answers questions such as: how are the (map) data obtained, how the map database is constructed, how GPS works to determine your location, what does the route planner algorithm look like, etc. The various techniques are explained in an understandable way and clarified through clear illustrations. This is introduced by a bit of history: what did the first road maps look like and who made them. NOTE: The term Route Navigation System (RNS for short) is used because a number of systems discussed are suitable for various modes of transport: car driving, cycling and walking.

This e-Atlas shows a series of (100) curious maps which have been made through the history of cartography. From early classical maps to contemporary computer images. Mostly they were the result of the (lack of) information available to the author drawing the map. In the past the only source for cartographers was oral and written information from merchants, seamen, explorers etc. Copying maps of (foreign) colleague cartographers, including their errors, was very common. This atlas is not just a visual tour showing the history of mapping; it also marks the most important discoveries and the advancement in technology of mankind. From inventions and applications such as the magnetic compass and the printing press to modern mapping techniques like satellite remote sensing. PART IV – the main part - contains a selection of remarkable maps and a description of their contents and makers. It starts with the earliest survived maps. The maps are not only characterized by their content based on newly available information. The cartographic drawing style has also evolved through time: from early manuscript and woodcut drawings via (copper) engravings to modern printing techniques. The timeline follows the (European) history of cartography. The maps (Part IV) are grouped according to their characteristics. From the very first hand-drawn world maps, via 16th/17th century atlas maps (Golden Age of Cartography), to contemporary computer-generated (thematic) images. Within a group they are arranged chronologically. Most of the earliest maps are in the classic Latin language, most ‘modern’ maps are in the English language.

Gerardus Mercator: the cartographer who shaped our worldview (1512-1594) This story is dedicated to Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594), for many – including the author of this book – the greatest cartographer of all time. His life, education and work are described. He lived in a time and region where poverty and political-religious tensions prevailed: the south-east of the Low Countries in the 16th century. Mercator’s life therefore had many setbacks, including his imprisonment and the loss of 3 of his 5 children. Nevertheless, he became proficient in all facets of map making: geographical knowledge, surveying techniques and map design and engraving. He produced both large-scale and small-scale maps, world maps and atlases. In addition, he made (earth) globes and surveying instruments. His life, studies and work are described chronologically. His predecessors are also discussed: in particular, the geographers from classical antiquity who inspired him during his studies and work. His two greatest achievements receive special attention: his world map from 1569 with a projection named after him for navigation purposes and the “first” structured collection of maps in book form from 1585, for which he coined the term Atlas. Numerous renowned cartographers have subsequently elaborated on Mercator’s map projection and atlas. Even today, his projection is still used. He has thus shaped the worldview of countless people…

Developing a cartographic viewer for statistical data. Cartography is the science and technology of making maps. Its purpose is to visualize spatial related information. In ancient and medieval times cartography was often seen as a form of art and a way to express political and religious views. It gradually evolved into an “exact” information and communication science. As geographers describe the earth, cartographers visualize it. A map is a graphical representation of the earth and its spatial features; an atlas is a systematic collection of maps in book form. An e-atlas is an electronic or digital atlas. After years of gaining knowledge and experience in the fields of cartography and computer science (particularly programming), it was time to integrate things. The aim was to demonstrate that you can create thematic maps with simple (and free) programming tools. The choice fell on JavaScript, a “simple” programming language that is available to everyone and can be run directly under standard web browsers from Google and Microsoft, among others. All you need is a text editor to type in the instructions. I chose Notepad++: this is a free editor that, in contrast to the regular Notepad, displays the various elements and structures of a program in different colors.

**Remote Sensing: how satellite images are made (1972-date) ** This concise presentation (16 pages) shows how satellite images are generated. It focuses on Landsat, the longest running project for earth observation. The entire process is explained: from the reflected sunbeams on the earth surface to the colours on the screen.

Ukraine in 40 historical maps: 1480-2020 (124 pages) NOTE: This atlas of Ukraine is free. Instead, you can of course always support the Red Cross in Ukraine with a donation. Thank you.

The 4th continent is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The name America was introduced by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller. He wrongly assumed that Amerigo Vespucci - and not Columbus – had been the first European who discovered the new western continent. The name appeared for the first time on his famous world map published in 1507. The printed wall map was lost for a long time; the only survived copy was found in Schloss Wolfegg, in southern Germany in 1901. The map, also called the “birth-certificate of America”, was purchased by the Library of Congress in 2003. The (eastern) coastline of America was drawn much more accurate on the world map of Ribero in 1527. The first separately printed map (pocket version) of the new continent (the Americas) was included in Sebastian Munster’s encyclopaedia (1540 onwards). The first (printed) separate maps of North America appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases, e.g. by Italian cartographer Porcacchi. Numerous large (atlas) maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Jansson (Netherlands), Sanson (France), Moll (England) and Lotter (Germany).

The 4th continent is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The name America was introduced by the German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller. He wrongly assumed that Amerigo Vespucci - and not Columbus – had been the first European who discovered the new western continent. The name appeared for the first time on his famous world map published in 1507. The printed wall map was lost for a long time; the only survived copy was found in Schloss Wolfegg, in southern Germany in 1901. The map, also called the “birth-certificate of America”, was purchased by the Library of Congress in 2003. The (eastern) coastline of America was drawn much more accurate on the world map of Ribero in 1527. The first separately printed map (pocket version) of the new continent (the Americas) was included in Sebastian Munster’s encyclopaedia (1540 onwards). The first (printed) separate maps of South America appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases, e.g. by Italian cartographers Gastaldi and Ruscelli. Numerous large (atlas) maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Gutierrez/Cock (Belgium), Jansson (Netherlands), Sanson (France) and Lotter (Germany).

The name Asia comes from Semitic, an old language from which the current Arabic, Hebrew and Maltese languages, among others, are derived. It refers to the word asu, which means “rising of the sun”. (Western) Asia was already described by classical Greek scholars; e.g. Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying (world) maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. It is also depicted on the T-O based Mappa Mundi of the middle ages, being one of the 3 then known ‘old’ continents (besides Africa and Europe). During the Middle Ages, as the Europeans increased their knowledge and awareness of the size of the Asian continent, they progressively extended the name of Asia to the rest of the continent. Waldseemuller’s large map of 1507 - being partly based on Ptolemy’s ideas and new discoveries - was one of the first printed world maps depicting the whole continent, including the far eastern coastline. The first ‘complete’ maps of Asia were still largely based on the voyages of discovery that the Venetian merchant Marco Polo had made between 1271 and 1295 to the Far East. The first (printed) separate maps of Asia appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases. Numerous large atlas maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Lafreri (Italy), Mercator (Belgium), Speed (England), Sanson (France), Blaeu (Netherlands) and Homann (Germany).

The name **Africa **may be derived from the Phoenician word afar, meaning “dust”. The name Africa Terra (“Land of the dust”) was introduced by the ancient Romans to identify the northern part of the continent that corresponds to modern-day Tunisia. (Northern) Africa was already described by classical Greek scholars; e.g. Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying (world) maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. It is also depicted on the T-O based Mappa Mundi of the middle ages, being one of the 3 then known ‘old’ continents (besides Asia and Europe). During the Middle Ages, as the Europeans increased their knowledge and awareness of the size of the African continent, they progressively extended the name of Africa to the rest of the continent. Waldseemuller’s large map of 1507 - being partly based on Ptolemy’s ideas and new discoveries - was one of the first world maps depicting the whole continent, including the South-African coastline. On the earlier world map of Martellus (1490) the southern part was truly out of shape; on Cantino’s portolan chart (1502) it was corrected on account of information provided by Portuguese explorers. The first (printed) separate maps of Africa appeared in the mid 16th century. At first they were small overview maps in pocket atlases. Numerous large atlas maps made by famous cartographers would follow: e.g. Lafreri (Italy), Mercator (Belgium), Speed (England), Sanson (France), Blaeu (Netherlands) and Homann (Germany).

Greenland in 42 historical maps: 1554-2018 (130 pages) The name of this largest island (country) was given by early Norse settlers. In the Icelandic sagas, the Norwegian-born Icelander Erik the Red was said to be exiled from Iceland for manslaughter. Along with his extended family and his serfs, he set out in ships to explore an icy land known to lie to the northwest. After finding a habitable area and settling there, he named it Grœnland (Greenland), supposedly in the hope that the pleasant name would attract settlers. The name of the country in the indigenous Greenlandic language is Kalaallit Nunaat (“Land of the Kalaallit”). The Kalaallit are the indigenous Greenlandic Inuit people who inhabit the country’s western region. The first separate maps of the island/country already appeared at the end of the 16th century. However, parts of its coastline (especially to the North) weren’t based on true observations but purely fictionally drawn. It would last until the end of the 19th century before the complete coastline was actually charted.

Surinam in 35 historical maps: 1522-2018 (116 pages) The name Surinam comes from Surinen people, the earliest known native American inhabitants of the region. From 1667 till 1975 the country was a colony of The Netherlands. It had been governed by the WIC (West Indies Company), the counterpart of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). On some antique maps the name Dutch Guyana is used to identify the colony/country and distinguish it from the neighbouring areas British Guyana (to the West) and French Guyana (to the East). Maps of the south-American region Guyana already appeared at the end of the 16th century. Separate (printed) maps of Surinam, mostly made by Dutch cartographers in service of the WIC, appeared in the early 18th century.

The Pacific Ocean in 38 historical maps: 1527-2018 (120 pages) The (eastern) Pacific was first sighted by Europeans in the early 16th century when Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513 and discovered the great “southern sea” which he named Mar del Sur (in Spanish). But it was Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan who gave this largest ocean in 1521 its current name: Mare Pacifico (Pacific Ocean). The name was chosen because of the apparent stillness of the sea. Magellan was the first explorer who circumnavigated the globe and charted the real extension of the Pacific Ocean. The world map of Diego Ribero (1527) was the first map showing the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. The first printed separate maps of the Pacific Ocean appeared at the end of the 16th century. Numerous maps followed in the 17th century, most of them made by Dutch cartographers in service of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company).

Luxemburg in 35 historical maps: 1571-2018 (116 pages). The name Luxemburg (French: Luxembourg) – for both the Country and its Capital City – comes from Celtic Lucilem (meaning “small” or “little”) and Germanic burg (meaning “castle”). Its origin goes back to 963, when Siegfried (of the House of Ardennes), the Abbot of St. Maximin at Trier, got the local castle into possession. From here the successive counts of Luxemburg extended their area. In the 16th/17th century, Luxemburg became a Principality of the Low Countries, and included the present Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the current Belgian province of Luxembourg and a number of neighbouring areas in France and Germany. The first separately printed maps of Luxemburg appeared at the end of the 16th century. Most of them were made by established cartographers from the Low Countries: e.g. Ortelius, Mercator and Blaeu.

Malta in 37 historical maps: 1480-2018 (120 pages). The name Malta is either from Greek or Phoenician origin. The presence of the Greek dates back to 700BC when they called the island Melita, which refers to “(land of) honey”. The name was also used by the Romans during their domination of the island. The alternative Phoenician theory refers to the word Maleth, meaning “a haven”. The name Melita is used on the earliest maps, the name Malta on modern maps. On 17th century maps both names were often applied. The island already appears as a small (green) spot on regional maps of Ptolemy (c.150AD/c.1480). The first (printed) separate maps of Malta (in black & white) were published in the early 16th century. Numerous maps (on a larger scale) would follow during the 17th century, including the beautiful coloured maps of the Dutch Blaeu firm.

Switzerland in 44 historical maps: 1525-2018 (134 pages). The name Switzerland (Schweiz, Suisse) means Land of the Switzers (Swiss people). It refers to Schwyz, one of the founding cantons of the country. Its origin is uncertain: it may be derived from the Anglo-Saxon term swiþ- (meaning “strong”) or from the Germanic word swint- or Celtic word sveit- (“clearing”). The present name came into use on maps during the 17th century. On earlier maps the Latin name Helvetia was used. This name refers to the Celtic tribes which lived in the area, prior to the people who immigrated from Germany. The first separately printed maps of Helvetia appeared in the early 16th century.

Norway, Sweden and Finland in 46 historical maps: 150AD-2018 (140 pages). In the 17th century the Latin name Scandinavia appeared on maps identifying the most northern part of western Europe (Norway, Sweden and Finland). It is derived from the Proto-Germanic word skadinaujo. The second part of the word refers to the waters surrounding the region. Parts of Scandinavia were already described by Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. The first separately printed maps appeared in the early 16th century. The name Norway, or its native name Norge, means the “Northern Way”. It refers to the long coastal passages from the western tip of Norway to its northernmost lands in the Arctic. The name Sweden (or Svitjod in Old Norse) means “One’s own people”. The name Finland means “Land of the Finns”. The origin of the word Finn is uncertain: it may be derived from the Proto-Germanic finne (meaning “wanderers” or “hunting-folk”).

Portugal in 46 historical maps: 1480-2018 (138 pages). On ancient maps the Latin name Iberia was used to identify the Spanish peninsula (Spain and Portugal). It is derived from the Greek word Iberes, meaning “the Celtic people of Spain”. But it may also refer to the river Ebro in Spain. Most likely the name Portugal means “beautiful port”. The first part refers to the Latin word Portus. The second part may be derived from the Greek word kallis. Spain and Portugal were already described by Ptolemy in his Geographia (150AD). The accompanying maps were worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. The coastline was drawn in more detail on 14th century Portolan charts (nautical maps). The first separately printed map of Portugal appeared in the 16th century (about 1560).