Maps on Stone: The Web and Ethics in Cartography

Abstract

Cartographers have struggled with a variety of ethical questions that relate both to how maps should properly convey information and the role of maps in society at large. Monmonier questions the ethics of authoring single, highly authored interpretations of reality. Wood points to the close relationship between cartography and government. A number of ethical questions also surround maps and the Internet. The World Wide Web has emerged as an important new medium for cartography. It is estimated that over 50 million maps are distributed via the web on a daily basis. In the transition to a new medium, ethical questions emerge about the role of cartographers as purveyors of information about the world, and the ethicacy of choosing a medium that limits access to maps. Ethics are the moral principles, based on social values, that define a code of right and wrong or good and bad. Some ethical codes are set in law but most are simply unwritten rules. Acceptance of a common ethic forms the basis of society. The ethical codes may be set in place by society at large or by any particular sub-group of society. The medical profession, for example, is guided by implicit and explicit ethical codes that have a large influence on how doctors provide medical care to patients. Cartography is also guided by a set of ethical considerations. For