4 replies to this topic

[rudy]

Good morning all -

At the Canadian Cartographic Association's annual conference at Regina last week there was a discussion around membership and how to attract more practicing cartographers. The Association is open to pretty much any one who is willing to pay the membership fee, cartographer or Canadian or neither. Specifically for those who are Canadian, my questions to you are:
- have you heard of the CCA?
- are you a member?
- if you are not a member, why not?
- what, if anything, would the CCA need to do to attract practicing cartographers like yourself to either become a member or attend their annual conference (next one is in Calgary in 2011)?

Rudy

[Charles Syrett]

I was actually a "founding member" of the CCA; i.e., I attended the inaugural meeting back in 1975 (in Ottawa). I was naive and idealistic (some would argue that this is still the case ), and was dismayed that there was zero conversation about cartography -- only endless discussions of due process and the election of officials! Silly me. But I stayed on as a member for what?...another 20 years or so. During that time, I always received the journal (Cartographica), which I hardly ever read, because it was dominated by academic treatises that had little or nothing to do with real-life mapping and was always illustrated by woefully bad maps.

I allowed my membership to lapse when I could no longer see the point of it. But that was about 15 years ago, and since then the academic and practical "worlds" of cartography have become much more merged (because GIS enabled many more academics to start making real world maps). Maybe there's an argument for reapproaching.

On the other hand, CartoTalk does everything I ever wanted from a professional organization. Heck, I'm not even a member of NACIS. (Yet.)

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

[David Medeiros]

I was actually a "founding member" of the CCA; i.e., I attended the inaugural meeting back in 1975 (in Ottawa). I was naive and idealistic (some would argue that this is still the case ), and was dismayed that there was zero conversation about cartography -- only endless discussions of due process and the election of officials! Silly me. But I stayed on as a member for what?...another 20 years or so. During that time, I always received the journal (Cartographica), which I hardly ever read, because it was dominated by academic treatises that had little or nothing to do with real-life mapping and was always illustrated by woefully bad maps.

I allowed my membership to lapse when I could no longer see the point of it. But that was about 15 years ago, and since then the academic and practical "worlds" of cartography have become much more merged (because GIS enabled many more academics to start making real world maps). Maybe there's an argument for reapproaching.

On the other hand, CartoTalk does everything I ever wanted from a professional organization. Heck, I'm not even a member of NACIS. (Yet.)

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

This has been my experience with my local mapping association: BAAMA (Bay Area Automated Mapping Association). Sounds like a map focused group doesn't it? Don't be silly, it's an organization for the discussion of cloud computing and database design.

I am a NACIS member (well, I was, I probably need to renew!), and I found the Sacramento meeting to be very interesting especially the Practical Cartography Day. But like you I find most of what I need right here at CartoTalk. It's a prefect blend of the technical and artistic aspects of map making IMO (traditional and GIS).

[Charles Syrett]

In the early 60's a group of production cartographers in Ontario (mostly provincial and federal government cartos) created something called the Ontario Institute of Chartered Cartographers (OICC). The idea was to charter cartographers as professionals, the way (for example) accountants do.

The qualifications were fairly rigorous and demanding. You were tested on theoretical knowledge, and you had to actually create a map and have it reviewed through a formal process. If you were a strict academic who had never touched a ruling pen or a scriber, you didn't have a chance. Neither did those who only did the drafting part of mapping, but had no theoretical understanding -- they were called "technicians".

The OICC didn't last long -- mainly because there was no real world demand for "chartered" cartographers. It had pretty much putzed out by the time the CCA was formed in 1975. In fact, as I recall, that was one of the main reasons the CCA was formed; there was a felt need for a more inclusive organization.

But....I still remember seeing the framed certificates of charter proudly displayed by some of my "CC" colleagues....

Charles Syrett
Map Graphics
http://www.mapgraphics.com

[CHART]

- have you heard of the CCA?
Yes

- are you a member?
No

- if you are not a member, why not?
I 'now' believe that the web has numerous resources that address my specific needs. (For free).


- what, if anything, would the CCA need to do to attract practicing cartographers like yourself to either become a member or attend their annual conference (next one is in Calgary in 2011)?
... You don't have to be a MEMBER to attend most conferences ... you just need to pay a little extra. So the way I look it, if I were to attend a conference it would be based on the content of the conference (and my budget) and not if I am a member or not.
As for the idea of being 'part' of an association I now believe it is not worth the(any) price. So I am no longer a member of any so called 'Cartographic' association.

... maybe a association with 'NO academic members' just practicing cartographers. That I might consider. Actually a conference for practicing cartographers only not linked to any association. That would be fun I am sure. But that would not be politically correct. Would it?.