Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Conversation
The Conversation
Melinda Laituri, Professor Emeritus of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University

Women have been mapping the world for centuries – and now they’re speaking up for the people left out of those maps

Gladys West, right, developed the mathematical models behind GPS. U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons

Although women have always been part of the mapping landscape, their contributions to cartography have long been overlooked.

Mapmaking has traditionally featured men, from Mercator’s projection of the world in the 1500s to land surveyors such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson mapping property in the 1700s, to Roger Tomlinson’s development of geographic information systems in the 1960s. Cartography and related geospatial technologies fields continue to be male-dominated.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.