National Geographic Maps: Too Sexy for this Computer
Written: Mar 09 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 112 years worth of National Geographic Maps. Simple to use
Cons: May lose some quality when printed. Also, these are not paper, need I say more?
The Bottom Line: Maps are essential for all students, big or small. If you have any interest in maps at all, this program will be an asset to your software library.
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| bonzobean's Full Review: Encore National Geographic Maps The Complete Colle... |
“Maps break down our inhibitions, stimulate our glands, stir our imagination, loosen out tongues. The map speaks across the barriers of language; it is sometimes claimed as the language of geography.” - Carl Sauer in “The Education of a Geographer” 1956
I consider myself a cartophile of sorts. Simply speaking, I love maps. I can easily spend hours pouring over a map just as one might find himself immersed in the most intriguing of novels. In maps, you can explore both the cultural and physical environment. Maps draw the reader into a world we can visit from the confines of our chair or allow us to explore the road less traveled. Given my love affair with the map, should be no surprise one of my degrees is in Cartography and the fact that my husband and I have a wonderful collection of various maps.
Upon renewal of my National Geographic subscription, I was sent National Geographic Maps: The Complete Collection. I could not have been more excited. Like a child looking for the toy in a cereal box, every month, the first thing I do to my National Geographic is shake it wildly to see if a map falls out. If fortunate enough to be in a ‘map month’, I promptly toss the magazine aside and, instead, carefully peruse whatever portion of the world has been dropped at my doorstep.
POP QUIZ TIME
Who here can name all countries surrounding Iraq?
Okay, if that one is too difficult, how about:
Who here could point to Iraq on a map without any country names listed?
Sad fact of the day: According to a poll by National Geographic, only 13 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 to 24 could find Iraq on a map. Can you just imagine how many of that 13% could name at least three of the countries surrounding this hot spot?
So, what is “The Complete Collection” you ask?
National Geographic Maps: The Complete Collection is an eight-disk compilation of 535 maps. And, these aren’t just maps, these are all the foldout supplemental maps published in the magazine between the years 1888 and 2000. We’re talking 112 years worth of maps.
Let’s get installation out of the way
Installation of this program was fairly simple and straightforward. Pop the installation disk into the CD-Rom and you’re off and running. Within five minutes, I was buried deep in the land of maps and one happy camper. Minimum system requirements:
- Windows 95 or higher
- 32MB RAM
- Pentium 266MHz or faster
- SVGA video card supporting 256 colors
- 16-bit sound card and speakers (not necessary but nice to have)
- 4x CD-ROM drive
Just started the program, what can I do?
Upon opening the program, you may go in several directions. You can search out your favorite maps. You can view videos or National Geographic milestones. You can take map tours or you may simply decide to browse through the help files.
Searching for Maps
With more than 500 maps to look through, the search engine is a wonderful feature. Simply type in any keywords and press enter. You may also narrow down the topics into themes (economic, historical, physical, political, population, space, travel and wildlife), region (including the oceans and space) and you may limit the search to certain date ranges if you so choose. For example, I typed in the word ‘earthquakes’ and within several seconds, I was looking at a list of nine different maps dealing with this topic. Once you’ve done your search, you may browse each of the selected maps and find out the map’s projection, scale, the series of map, what is on the back of the map and a listing of the related articles.
Milestones In Mapping and National Geographic Milestones
Should you decide to delve into the ‘Milestones in Mapping’, you’ll find six categories to explore – ‘First Maps’, ‘Ancient Greece and Rome’, ‘Middle Ages’, ‘Age of Exploration’, ‘Scientific Age’ and ‘Twentieth Century’. This portion of the program is more like a Power Point presentation and leads you through the evolution of the map. ‘National Geographic Milestones’ is much the same as the previous milestones in that you have a slide-type presentation but this time you get a brief glimpse into the wonderful evolution and creation of National Geographic’s maps.
Map Tours
Map Tours is a nice little section that I’d recommend for students or anybody wanting a brief background on the nine topics at hand – ‘Europe through the Ages’, ‘Growth of a Nation’, ‘The Making of Canada’, ‘Our Changing Earth’, ‘Our Threatened Environment’, ‘Peoples of the Past’, ‘Space’, ‘War in the Twentieth Century’ and ‘Round Earth on Flat Paper’. For instance, I have an interest in map distortions so by choosing ‘Round Earth on Flat Paper’, I was able to view a 90-second or so video on map distortions and at the end, I was given the option to explore ‘Azimuthal’, ‘Conic’ or ‘Cylindrical’ projections in more detail.
Viewing the Maps
For me, probably the only reason I’d want this program is to look at the maps. Having just read a review remarking on Columbus, our lost explorer, I decided to take a look at what National Geographic might have on this historical explorer. I was able to find 12 matches and chose ‘ Where did Columbus Discover America’. Using an estimation of the ocean currents in 1492, National Geographic asserts that Columbus most likely first arrived at Samana Cay in the central Bahamas which is actually a theory more than a century old. I found myself less fascinated with where he landed but instead enjoyed examining the map and method from which they derived this landing spot.
Map Quality
If I had to rate the quality of these maps, I’d rate them at about an eight on a scale of one to ten. The maps have a slight scanned look and maybe not quite as clean as the actual maps themselves. You have the option of printing the maps and the quality really depends on the quality of your printer. The map itself has five zoom levels with the smallest level showing the entire map in the window which means you’ll lose some detail. The largest zoom level will show any focal point on the map that you are interested in seeing at full map detail. You should select 16 bit or higher in display settings in order not to lose color, which can often be very important in map viewing.
What I like most about this program
Aside from the obvious, I have more than 500 maps with which to play around. I like the relative ease with which I can call up these maps. I like that I can easily navigate around the map and, after doing a ‘copy screen’, I can incorporate pertinent portions of the map into other programs. The ‘pan’ feature is easy to use and makes it even easier to zoom in on those points of interest no matter where they lie on the map. I like that I have 112 years of National Geographic quality maps at my fingertips.
What I’m not crazy about
Obviously, these maps would take up lots of space on the hard drive, but I don’t really like that I have to call up the maps from the CD-ROM. The videos seem to lose a little of their quality and can be a bit choppy especially if I have anything else open on my computer. Also, looking at and reading a map on your computer can never compare to the feel, the texture, the sexiness of an actual map but since I don’t have most of the maps in this collection, I’m willing to make do with second best.
Who should purchase this program?
Seeing as how my copy is two years old, I’m sure you can find an updated version with even more maps ((drool)). I’d recommend adding National Geographic Maps to your software library if you are a student whether you’re only in first grade or working on your Masters. Whether you are homeschooling or just interested in maps, this program is an essential. Whether you are interested in Iraq and want to examine one of the 13 maps showing Iraq or want to take your children on ancient voyages, this program is an essential. Lastly, if you just find maps sexy and enjoy speaking the ‘language’ of maps, this program is an essential.
National Geographic Maps: The Complete Collection allows you to become more than a viewer. You get to visit the places you are viewing. If you are a novice map viewer, you quickly realize that maps are so much more than just a piece of paper with streets and cities. Maps are the gateway into the world of history, ecology, political events, physical phenomena and so much more. I only hope when you purchase this program or an updated version…and you really should add this to your collection…you discover for yourself the true beauty in the language of maps.
Related National Geographic review of interest:
National Geographic goes 'Slumming' and comes back with National Geographic Kids.
Recommended:
Yes
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bonzobean
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I think the mistake many of us make is thinking the-state-appointed shrink is our friend.
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