Cartography is the method of designing, creating, and studying maps. It helps people understand their place in the world and study positional relationships. Over the years, cartographic capabilities have evolved alongside technology, culminating in modern-day navigation and geospatial technology.
Mapping leverages a wide variety of tools and methods through the use of sensors, aerial photography, satellites, GPS, and GIS. Today’s tools take mapping software to new heights, mostly in terms of accuracy and detail.
Innovation in navigation tech: LBS and autonomous vehicles
The LBS or location-based service market is predicted to grow tenfold in the next seven years. The mobility sector will account for much of this growth. The most advanced driver assistance systems and the fully autonomous driving systems of the future necessitate real-time access to dynamic routing capabilities and accurate data. There were 31 million partially autonomous vehicles on roads worldwide in 2019, and this number is expected to surpass 54 million by the end of 2024. The autonomous car market was valued at $24 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $62 billion in 2026.
There’s still a long way to go in terms of safety, though. According to the National Law Review, 9.1 self-driving car crashes occur for every 1 million miles driven. The rate for human-driven cars is 4.1 per million miles. Of the 367 autonomous car crashes that occurred between July 2021 and May 2022, 273 involved a Tesla model.
HD and 3D map generation
High-definition maps provide detailed information about road boundaries, lane placements, and other road features, as well as the terrain type (surface gradient, severity of curves). Three-dimensional maps make it possible to render physical objects accurately in 3D.
3D maps help the vehicle interpret the information transmitted by onboard sensors. Most of these have a limited range, and HD maps help by giving the navigation system additional details about the terrain, road features, and other traffic-relevant objects.
GIS analyzes geospatial software data
Geographic Information Systems or GIS are used to organize, view, and analyze data from geospatial technology software. GIS helps users improve their comprehension of location-based relationships and patterns. Cloud-based GIS systems have become commonplace in the last decade. While they don’t offer such deep scientific analysis capabilities, they are much easier to use on mobile devices, allowing users to take GIS anywhere.
AI improves map accuracy and design
AI algorithms improve the accuracy and speed of digital map construction by enabling faster mapping of new areas and more frequent map updates. They create multi-layer 3D maps and enriched 2D digital maps by classifying roads, buildings, and other objects in satellite images.
There are some exciting developments in this area. One of them is RoadTagger, a neural network that automatically predicts the number of lanes and the road type (highway or residential) even if the road is somehow obstructed, like by a tree or a building. Developers tested the model on occluded roads from 20 cities’ digital maps. In 2023, it was reported that the model predicted the road types with 93% accuracy and the lane number with 77% accuracy.
A bright future for cartography and navigation
Many of the most commonly used smartphone apps rely on location-based services and other geospatial technology. Navigation apps like Waze and Google Maps, food delivery apps like DoorDash, and ride services like Uber or Lyft use mapping tools. However, modern cartography does much more than finding a location on a map. Cartography and navigation have a bright future with data from satellites, drones, and sensors, plus the reliable functions of GIS mapping tools and software.
Daniel J. Morgan is the founder of Invidiata Magazine, a premier publication showcasing luxury living, arts, and culture. With a passion for excellence, Daniel has established the magazine as a beacon of sophistication and refinement, captivating discerning audiences worldwide.
