May 15 - 16, 2014 - Washington, DC

A two-day Library of Congress Geography and Map Division/Philip Lee Phillips Society conference, From Terra to Terabytes: the History of 20th Century Cartography and Beyond.  The study and science of cartography and its related geographical disciplines underwent profound technological and conceptual advancements in the twentieth century. These advancements, brought about by the technological innovations in mapping during two world wars, the popularization of automobile and air travel, the advent of computers, the development of newer and faster mathematical and computational algorithms, and the birth of satellite imagery, all contributed to paradigm changes that can be considered revolutionary. Technological and conceptual improvements have generated new forms of data, maps, artifacts and forms of spatial analysis that differ radically from those typically archived in map libraries. This conference will look back at the long history of cartography in the 20th century and glance at what is coming in the future, as we more and more move away from traditional static paper maps, and enter a truly dynamic and computer based cartographic era.  The two keynote speakers, Mark Monmonier, from Syracuse University, and Carl Steinitz, from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, will take participants through the long history of cartography in the 20th century, providing sweeping views of the field as it went from the traditional methods of surveying of the early years to the remote sensing and computer cartography of the later period. Keynotes will also give a glimpse into what is coming in the future as we move into real time cartography and the newly evolving field of geodesign. Other speakers include Keith Clarke from the University of California at Santa Barbara, on the timely topic of mapping for intelligence and national security purposes; Judith Tyner,  from California State University, on Marie Tharpe and the mapping of the Ocean floor; Laura Krugan, the Director of Columbia University’s Spatial Information Design Lab, on the History of Remote Sensing; John Hessler, from the Library of Congress, on the end of cartography and many more over the course of the two days.