Mapping the Future Technology and computers have revolutionized many of the aspects of our lives. Many professions and businesses have used technology to their advantage and completely changed industries. One profession that has drastically changed because of computers and technology is cartography or mapmaking. The impact of technology on geographic information and mapmaking has led to new techniques and skills for these now computer-based jobs and careers. New technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) have emerged in mapmaking. There are also new Internet-based map services including MapQuest and MapBlast as well as other digital maps. Before analyzing the effects that technology has on mapmaking, it is important to understand some of the history of maps. Hundreds of years ago, maps were drawn by hand and much of the work had to be done manually. In ancient Greece , philosophers came up with the idea of “geography†and that was where the foundations of maps were created.
