What Is a Map? Hannah is a college student who likes to hang out with her friends. She woke up late this morning, so she took a cab to get to class on time. The cab driver used a GPS navigation system to find the shortest route to her school. For lunch, Hannah took her friends to one of the places she found through an online map of good restaurants. After her afternoon classes, she learned how she could get to the city library through an online map service. On her way to the library, a group of foreign tourists asked for directions to a famous park. Hannah used the subway map to give them directions. When she got home in the evening, she turned on her computer and examined several tourist information maps on the Internet for a family trip. There is no denying the fact that maps are more than just pieces of paper with geographical information on them. They are a big part of people's daily lives. They are used for simple tasks like finding a good restaurant in the neighborhood, as well as for business, security, and medical and academic purposes. Ever since the development of maps, people have been using them to exchange information, describe imaginary worlds, control their land, distribute their ideas, and pass their thoughts on to future generations. Let's take a look at the history of maps to see how they have been developed and used.

Early Maps The earliest surviving map of the world is preserved on a clay tablet made in ancient Babylonia in about 6th century B.C. It represents the earth as a flat circle with oceans and mythical islands around it. The European maps made during the Middle Ages were heavily influenced by religious views. For example, a map of the world created in the 6th century shows that the world is flat, and the heavens are shaped like a box with a curved lid. All of these early maps were, of course, drawn and illustrated by hand. The invention of printing made maps much maps much more widely available in the 15th century. Map-making skills advanced during the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries. Coast lines, islands, rivers, and harbors were described on maps. Compass lines and other navigation aids were included, and new map projections were devised. People at the time had the belief that such maps had great value for military and economic purposes and often treated them as national or commercial secrets. Whole-world maps that resemble those of today began to appear in the early 16th century, following voyages by Columbus and others to the New World.

Modern Maps Maps became increasingly accurate and factual during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries with the application of scientific methods. First introduced in 1500, the bird's-eye view, or a view from a great height, became widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. Shading and contour lines were used to show geographical features in more detail. The widespread use of air photos following World War Ⅰ brought about a great leap in map-making skills. This technology revealed even the most remote places to the rest of the world. Modern map-making skills are based on a combination of ground observation and remote sensing. The advancement of science and increased exchanges among people and countries have led to the development of more advanced technologies for making maps. No other technology has been as revolutionary as the geographic information system (GIS), which emerged in the 1970s and 1980s. This system, which is composed of computer hardware, software, and digital information, makes it possible for people to create searches, analyze spatial information, and edit map information on their own. It is used nowadays for maps, navigation systems, transportation information, analysis of business zones, and other purposes.

Sinjeungdonggukyeojiseungram The map-making business in Korea began in full scale in the 15th century. While many books from that era contained detailed maps, no other geography book was as comprehensive as Sinjeungdonggukyeojiseungram. Published in 1530, the 55-volume book contains very detailed maps of the country such as Paldochongdo. There is no denying the fact thaat Ulleungdo and Dokdo are described as a part of Korea's territory.

Future Maps People have long been developing maps to graphically describe the place where we live. Scientists have been using the old ideas of maps for more creative functions to revolutionize the way we live. These days, people rely heavily on maps for business activities, national defense, the exploration of the human body, academic research, and the prediction of geographical changes. It won't be long before many companies have their products delivered to customers with the help of drones and robots equipped with GPS navigation systems. In the future, more advanced technology will be used for making maps. There is a great possibility that future maps will contain information about everything in physical space, including indoor areas. So you may get directions not only to a shopping center, but also to the inside of the stores. What is more, you might even be able to walk into an augmented reality map to go shopping. You'll be surprised to see what future maps will look like!