Commercial Map Production in the Digital Age: With Particular Reference to Experiences at HarperCollins Publishers

Abstract

Commercial cartography has experienced massive technological change in recent years. This paper describes in general terms the impact of this change on World Map and Atlas production at HarperCollins Publishers (HCP). There are two main business sectors within which commercial cartography occurs. Firstly there are cartographic publishers who operate production facilities to create their own mapping for publication, and secondly there are cartographic companies whose main business activity is the creation of bespoke mapping on a contract basis for a range of external customers. HCP operates in both these sectors so what follows is likely to be typical of the experiences of many commercial cartographers. We start with a backward glance in order to understand how we got to where we are today. Each stage in map production is then examined before the more general benefits accruing from the digital revolution are described.