Maps have evolved from classical portrayals seeking to represent geographical truths to radical maps that challenge conceptions of space and place, to weird maps that play with form and function for artistic expression. The brief history outlines the development from early maps attempting objective accuracy to modern maps that reflect political, social and technological changes, with some blurring boundaries between fact and fiction. A variety of modern mapping tools, techniques and platforms are credited with enabling new forms of community mapping and crowdsourced contributions from diverse sources.

1. The Classical,
the Radical,
and
the Weird:
A Brief History of Making Maps
Sumandro Chattapadhyay
@ajantriks

15. A Serio-Comic Map of Europe, John Bull and his Friends,
1900

38. Courtesy:
Atlantis Maps, BBMP, Buckminster Fuller, Christian Nold,
Eric Fischer, Foreign Policy, Global Security, Google Maps,
India Urban Portal, Institute for Applied Autonomy,
Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping,
Jon Bruner / Forbes, Kai Krause, MapKibera,
mappingweirdstuff.wordpress.com, Mental Floss,
Miklian Antiquarian Maps, Oliver O’Brien, Open Street Map,
Richard Saul Wurman, Stephanie Meece, Stephen Walter,
Strange Maps, Ushahidi, V. Naresh Narasimhan,
WikiMedia Commons.
Sumandro Chattapadhyay
@ajantriks