Computer cartography

[1][2][3] This technology represents a paradigm shift in how maps are produced, but is still fundamentally a subset of traditional cartography.

[5][6] The first peer-reviewed publications on using computers to help in the cartographic process predate the introduction of full GIS by several years.

[9] Early digital maps had the same basic functionality as paper maps—that is, they provided a "virtual view" of roads generally outlined by the terrain encompassing the surrounding area.

[13] Proprietary and non-proprietary computer programs and applications provide imagery and street-level map data for much of the world.

The principal use by which digital mapping has grown in the past decade has been its connection to Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

The coordinates and position as well as atomic time obtained by a terrestrial GPS receiver from GPS satellites orbiting Earth interact together to provide the digital mapping programming with points of origin in addition to the destination points needed to calculate distance.