----------------------------Original message---------------------------- I have spent almost 15 years in various production and management positions in large firms involved with surveying & photogrammetry, digital mapping/GIS and management consulting. I have also accumulated a total of 5 years (at different times) in university research and teaching. While I can sympathize with Larry Keenan's comments, wishing that map librarians or university types in general would stay away from custom map creation is a bit like wishing I were 18 again. (I do, sometimes, but...) The fact of the matter is that we are now all operating in an emerging spatial data infrastructure... ...one in which digital map data is available and easily accessible from libraries, provate companies or across the Internet; ... one in which people can locate themselves to within metres anywhere on the earth using a hand-held device they purchased at the mall; and ... one in which easy-to-use map viewing and composition tools (like Arc/View & others) make it possible for anyone -- trained or otherwise, experienced or otherwise, well-intentioned or otherwise -- to compose and produce a somewhat good-looking and apparently authoritative map. Let's put copyright or licencing issues aside for a minute (and most map/data librarians that I have met are extremely responsible in this regard). The fact is that low-cost desktop mapping software and the more fully-functional GIS/image processing packages are giving private mapping firms the same heartburn and pause for thought that desktop publishing packages gave to the graphic arts business a few years back. This phenomenon won't destroy the industry, especially those companies that deal with collecting new data from scratch. But it will result in some customers leaving, new customers emerging and -- over time -- most customers becoming better informed about their requirements, their likes and their dislikes. Software will not replace every good professional, but more people with less experience will be empowered to produce a good-looking product -- and that's the way it should be. I think it's great that librarians, students, business analysts and others are paying more attention to spatial data visualization and presentation. Don't get me wrong -- I have no doubt some mistakes are being made along the way (some horrendous, some not). In the long run, though, I also think that placing easy-to-use mapping tools into the hands of more people enriches the discipline, promotes a wider use of spatial data products and encourages a better appreciation of the nuances and expertise required in good cartographic design and map production. Don't judge Mr. Keenan's comments too harshly or dismiss his concerns too hastily. I don't think map librarians and people involved in the map production/GIS services industries have had much contact with one another over the years. I suspect the general populations of both groups are only beginning to realize that they're both important players in a much larger community. The dialogue starts in forums like this. I think Mr. Keenan's making a good start by taking the time to listen in on MAPS-L, to venture an opinion from time to time, and maybe to graciously take the heat when his opinions don't mesh with the majority of subscribers on this particular list. 'Nuff, said. ----- Dr. David Coleman <[log in to unmask]> Geographical Engineering Group Tel.1-506-453-4698 Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering Fax 1-506-453-4943 University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 4400, Fredericton, New Brunswick, CANADA E3B 5A3