With the progress of digitalization, the forms and expressions of maps have become more diverse, and the user base has expanded. Because non-experts in cartography have become involved in creating and using maps, we must re-examine the content of map literacy, which has diversified. However, no systematic study of map literacy has been observed, and its definition is ambiguous. The purpose of this study is to analyze past literature and existing teaching materials related to map literacy and present a new framework in light of digitalization.
After defining map literacy as the skill of reading and making maps, we examined the elements and structures of map literacy in light of the impact of digitalization. We identified that required literacy should be considered a combination of information, technology, and media literacies.
To examine the elements and structures of map literacy, we analyzed the contents of three editions of Monmonier’s “How to lie with maps,” a pioneering work in this field. Consequently, although the book covers the three aforementioned literacies, it does not sufficiently capture the digitalization of maps, and it assumes non-expert map users as its intended audience.
Hence, we compared Monmonier’s book with the content of two educational materials published in the 2000s, Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge (GIS&T BoK) of University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) and Mapping for a Sustainable World (MSW), published by the United Nations and International Cartographic Association (ICA). The results showed that these materials differed in the three aspects they focused on. Therefore, we need to develop new educational materials for map literacy that cover all the three literacies mentioned above for experts and non-experts.
https://ror.org/00ws30h19 