The Development of the Mariner's Chart
Abstract
The key to the problem of projecting rhumb-Iines as straight lines — the chief requirement of a navigational chart — was suggested by the Flemish cartographer and cosmographer Gerard Mercator. There is no evidence, however, that Mercator understood the mathematical principle of the projection which now bears his name. This principle was discovered independently by Thomas Hariot (whose investigations were not published) and Edward Wright after Mercator’s death. The principal aims in this paper are : first, to trace the development of the plane chart from the portolan chart; second, to discuss the contributions made in particular by Pedro Nunez, John Dee and Mercator, in the quest for a chart suitable for navigation, especially in high latitudes, which would be free from the defects of the “plane chart” , the “navigation globe" and the “ polar zenithal charts" used or suggested up to the end of the sixteenth century; and, third, to emphasize the essential link between Nunez, Dee and Mercator, which appears to have been forged at the University of Louvain at which all three men studied during the sixteenth century. By the beginning of the seventeenth century the problem of the mariner’s map had been solved following the introduction of Edward Wright’s Table of Meridional Parts.Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright
Any permission needed to incorporate material published elsewhere is the responsibility of the authors and it will be assumed that such permission has been maintained.
Authors should also bear the following points in mind:
- The title should be concise and reflect the subject matter
- Long passages of text should be avoided by the appropriate use of sub-titles
- References, which should include only publications cited, should be referenced in the text, thus (Smith, 1988), and be listed alphabetically in the Reference section conforming to the Harvard style. Some typical examples follow:
(i) References from Journals:
Anders, F.J. and Byrnes, M.R.(1991). “Accuracy of shoreline change rates as determined from maps and aerial photographs”, Shore and Beach, 59, pp. 17-26.
(ii) References from Books:
Foley, J.D., van Dam, A., Feiner, S. K. and Hughes, J.F. (1990), Computer Graphics – Principles and Practice, 2nd ed., Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
(iii) References from the technical material or research literature:
Smith, A. (1988). Colour photomapping. Report NRC-01-512. National Research Centre. Ottawa, Canada.
(iv) References from a web site:
desJardins, M. (2005). How to succeed in postgraduate study, Applied Ecology Research Group, University of Canberra, viewed 26 April 2009, http://aerg.canberra.edu.au/jardins.t.htm.
Please note that articles will be returned to Authors who do not conform to the IHR referencing policy.
Certain articles, especially those dealing with historical aspects, may well have to quote unpublished, archival or 'cumbersome' material, some of which may require further explanation in note form. In such cases referred material can be cited using numbered superscripts in the text and the list of references thus replaced by a section headed 'Notes' in which explanation of the superscripts is given. Material which has been consulted but not specifically referred to in the text can be included in a separate 'Bibliography'.
Please note that references will not be checked by the Editor and the responsibility for the accuracy rests solely with the author(s).