British Cartographic Society

Last updated

British Cartographic Society
Founded28 September 1963 (1963-09-28)
TypeLearned Society and Registered Charity
Registration no.240034
FocusPromoting the Art and Science of Mapmaking
Location
Coordinates 50°48′21″N1°05′14″W / 50.805833°N 1.087222°W / 50.805833; -1.087222
Area served
The United Kingdom of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Key people
President: Dr Seppe Cassettari
Vice President: Mr Paul Naylor
Revenue
£72,189 (year ending June 2010) [1]
Website www.cartography.org.uk

The British Cartographic Society (BCS) is an association of individuals and organisations dedicated to exploring and developing the world of maps. It is a registered charity. [2] Membership includes national mapping agencies, publishers, designers, academics, researchers, map curators, individual cartographers, GIS specialists and ordinary members of the public with an interest in maps.

Contents

The BCS is regarded as one of the world's leading cartographic societies and its main publication, The Cartographic Journal , is recognised internationally. [3] Membership of the Society can be useful for making contacts and keeping up with developments. [4]

Objectives

The BCS promotes all aspects of cartography to a wide range of potential users. The BCS is affiliated to the International Cartographic Association and represents the UK internationally. BCS members play an active part in the development of mapping throughout the world.

The Society has Memoranda of Understanding with several other organisations active in fields related to cartography.

Membership

Membership of the Society can be useful for making contacts and keeping up with developments. The Society offers membership in various categories:

From time to time the society confers Honorary Fellowship status on those who have, in its view, rendered distinguished service to the Society.

History

In the years following World War 2, good mapping was clearly needed to underpin postwar recovery. In many countries, existing societies relating to geography provided the channels to assist with these efforts. In the UK, it became clear that a more focused approach would be helpful.

On 28 September 1963 at a formal meeting chaired by Brigadier D.E.O. Thackwell (then Vice President of the ICA), the formation of the Cartographic Society was proposed. With further contributions from the Institution of Professional Civil Servants, the aims of the new Society were agreed and Brigadier Thackwell was elected as the first president.

Since then, the Society has become firmly established both nationally and internationally and has developed to meet the challenges of new technology such as GIS and the internet. It remains at the forefront of changes in cartography and in the wider data visualisation sector.

Initiatives and Events

The Society holds not-for-profit events open to the public and any interested parties to help raise the profile of cartography in the UK and to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas amongst members of the Society and others. These initiatives also aim to advance cartographic education and encourage research.

The Society's flagship event is its annual conference (Symposium) which brings together members and those working in the industry to network and discuss good practice and developments in the field.

Geoviz

In 2021, as a successor to its Better Mapping programme, the Society launched GeoViz – a new programme of activity that supports and nurtures cartography, map making and geographic data visualisation. It is designed to provide useful and informative content through a range of online material, events and more. The Better Mapping initiative was a series of seminars that ran throughout the UK between 2006 and 2019 and aimed to provide technical know-how to those just starting to create their own maps from the vast array of available spatial data and to get the best (cartographically) from general-purpose tools.

Online Events

During the national lockdowns imposed during the Covid pandemic, the Society increased the amount of online provision, both with the availability of static material on its website and also through webinars and other online fora.

Restless Earth

The Society supports cartographic education through its Restless Earth programme which brings awareness of mapping into schools through an interactive problem-solving workshop based on natural hazards as featured in the National Curriculum, currently the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

Special Interest Groups

Throughout its existence, the Society has included many special interest groups focussing on particular elements of the cartographic spectrum. As of 2021, the following are active:

Awards

One of the aims of the Society is to encourage better mapping by providing prizes and awards to individuals or companies who have shown excellence in this field. The annual BCS awards includes categories such as:

Additionally, from time to time the Society awards its Medal for a distinguished contribution to cartography.

Previously, the Esri UK New Mapmaker Award (formerly the National Geographic Award) was awarded, for excellence in scholarship or cartographic work, to those starting out in cartographic or associated industries.

New Mapmaker Award Winners:

Publications

In order to further its aims, the Society publishes books and periodicals:

Resources

The Society makes several online directories available, allowing both Corporate Members and freelance cartographers to publicise their work. These include:

See also

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References

  1. "Register Home Page". Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  2. "British Cartographic Society, registered charity no. 240034". Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  3. "Affiliated Organizations". Archived from the original on 20 May 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  4. "Cartographer" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2003. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  5. Clare Seldon (17 November 2015). "The British Cartographic Society > The NGS New Mapmaker Award 2009". Cartography.org.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  6. Clare Seldon (17 November 2015). "The British Cartographic Society > The NGS New Mapmaker Award 2010". Cartography.org.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  7. Clare Seldon (17 November 2015). "The British Cartographic Society > The NGS New Mapmaker Award 2011". Cartography.org.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2016.