Today you can virtually visit almost any street or landmark in the world, viewing an accurately mapped layout of its placement on the planet. When navigating new roads, real-time updates about weather and traffic conditions can keep us constantly in the know. This combines satellite and street-level imagery, incorporating huge amounts of data quickly and accurately. But before computers and satellites could lend a hand, the work of cartographers and surveyors was far more laborious and less accurate.
Maps have long been an essential tool for human civilisation, helping our ancestors piece together the world around them, document borders and navigate new landscapes. The first maps of 600
