The cartography and spatial representation traditions at Penn state

It is impossible to specify with any precision when the “cartography program” originated at Penn State. From the department's start in 1945, Penn State geography has been rooted in maps and mapping. Maps have been viewed as both an integral part of the research process and the result of research, rather than simply as a summary of research findings. Recent work using spatial adaptive filtering combined with animated maps to identify and explain spatio-temporal processes in AIDs diffusion and development of a three-dimensional time series for exploring patterns of change in New York City following the introduction of the skyscraper, exemplify the cartographic analysis/visualization traditions at Penn State. The importance assigned to maps as a research contribution is also clear in the four major atlases based on original research that have been edited by faculty in the department, and the USAtlas 2000 project recently proposed by Ron Abler.