Hidden Costs: Towards a More Sustainable Digital Cartography

Hidden Costs: Towards a More Sustainable Digital Cartography
Presenter: John Swab, University of Kentucky
What does a sustainable cartography look like? While maps are often utilized for sustainability-driven work, environmental concerns have often been of little importance to the practice of cartography. In this presentation, I address the sustainability of digital cartography by offering fresh insights into the material, financial, and environmental costs of mapping. Proceeding chronologically through the lifecycle of a digital cartography project opens new vistas to understanding the unintended impacts of our craft on the world. Additionally, this presentation seeks to integrate larger debates around sustainability in data studies into conversation within cartography.