Maker-space and Cart Lab Policy
A maker-space is driven by a collective, defined by the needs and expectations of its members and
contributors. Each year, Cart Labbers old and new come together to define how we want to make
use of
the space. As cartographic practice and professional expectations change, so too does the
composition of the space.
Pedagogical Research in Cartography
We constantly strive to teach better, and our location within the UW Geography Department enables
us
to complement our basic research profile with pedagogical research on cartography for k-12 and
higher education. To date, we have completed pedagogical research on active and situated
learning,
collaborative learning, scaffolded instructional design, spiraled curricula, distance education,
and
the role of maps in geographic and place-based education.
Cartography Courses at UW Geography
The first cartography course at UW–Madison dates to 1937, and today the UW Geography Department
offers five courses that partially or fully cover cartography: G170 Our Digital Globe, G370
Introduction to Cartography, G572 Graphic Design in Cartography, G575 Interactive Cartography &
Geovisualization, and G970 Seminar in Cartography. The cartography courses support undergraduate
majors in Geography and Cartography/GIS, certificates in GIS and Visual Cultures, and both
resident
and online masters in Cartography/GIS.
Learn more about courses in the UW Geography
Department…
Cartography Curriculum at UW Geography
The cartography curriculum continues to evolve as modern cartography continues to advance at an
unprecedented rate. The curriculum emphasizes a broad understanding of cartography/GIS paired
with
explicit geography courses. We offer six programs, so you can find the right one to fit your
needs.
Learn more about the UW Cartography Curriculum...
Open Resources
The Cart Lab is involved in the creation of open source educational resources, such as textbooks
and workbooks.
Web Mapping
Mapping for a Sustainable World
Cart Lab Education Series
The Cart Lab Education Series (CLES) is a weekly series of short (10–15 minute), highly informal
presentations, in which we share tips, tricks, fun map things, professional skills, past
projects,
etc. CLES presentations are student-driven, and include occasional guest presentations from
professionals and alum. CLES is open to all Cart Lab students and friends!
View our CLES schedule and explore resources from prior meetings…
Design Challenge
The best way to learn about design is by designing. The Cart Lab Design Challenge gives students
a
focused, “lock-in”-like experience that mimics the daily design constraints they will experience
in
the real world. The Cart Lab collaborates with Geography faculty to define the geographic
problem
context, giving the department an opportunity to come together as a community around an
important
and timely issue.
Learn more about the Design Challenge and see the results from
prior
years…
Educational Resources
There are far too many conceptual and technical competencies in cartography for any single
program to
maintain. We strongly believe in sharing the load collectively by using and contributing to
Educational Resources . We are a Geo For All lab, an
educational initiative of OSGeo and the International Cartography Association, and share formal
and
informal tutorials and resources from our cartography curriculum.
View our Educational Resources …
