Marsigli’s map of the Gulf of Lion

Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli, Italian warfare engineer, was born 350 years ago (*July 20, 1658, Bologna, †November 1, 1730, Bologna). His cartographic activity had many goals, from the mapping of the border of the Kingdom of Hungary (and also the Habsburg Empire) to the survey of the Danube River. Besides of these works, he surveyed the Gulf of Lion, at the southern shores of France, between 1706 and 1708, in connection with the Spanish War of Succession. This work, which is exactly 300 years old, has importance in the history of cartography and the marine exploration too. In present context, it is the first survey of this part of the continental shelf in a large, open bay near to the continent. He presented just one isobath at the depth of 60-70 brasses. Our analysis shows that this bears early and quite precise information about the location of the shelf escarpment

Does Google serve as a model for using place names?

This paper examines the reliability of geographical names published on various internet platforms and seeks to improve the place-name content of internet maps. Hungarian examples of incorrect place names from various online maps draw attention to the need for cooperation between those that provide internet maps or map-based applications and relevant national or professional institutions

Virtual Globes Museum

The Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics at Eötvös Loránd University has recently started a project to save the cartographic heritage of globe making first of all for the interest of professionals, students of cartography and geography in Hungary and abroad. In the first stage, those earth and celestial globes are processed digitally by the staff and students of cartography that have some relationship to Hungary. These digital products are continuously placed in the Virtual Globes Museum run by the Department. The collection of this museum is accessible through the Internet. The methods developed for the virtual museum offer new ways of the virtual restoration of damaged globes without any risk, the reconstruction of virtual facsimile globes, and the recreation of virtual contemporary facsimile globes. This paper discusses some of the technical advantages of three dimensional virtual globes. The 3D products offer great opportunities to examine the map content in detail. They can be easily handled by a mouse and can be used as demonstration aids in the classroom too. These “new” copies may be most useful for the physical restoration of the existing originals, which are often unique and carefully kept globes. For this purpose, it is most convenient if the map prints of the globes are still available, because they preserved the original state of the product (such as geographical names or colours) much better than the globes that may have been put to damage and light for centuries. An intermediate stage of the digital processing of an outstanding large globe made in Hungary in 1862 is described to show the challenges that cartographers may meet when working with old globes to prepare their virtual copies. The paper introduces the reader to some of the interesting globes that have already been placed in the Virtual Globes Museum (for instance, the detachable earth globe, the globes of Bleau, Kogutowicz). A 2 passage tells the reader method the globes are described along with the images of the globes. The description of globes is given in three languages in the virtual museum. The processing of globes by digital methods requires the introduction and discussion of new terms such as digital virtual facsimile, contemporary facsimile and digital virtual reconstruction. Working out the methods for the digital virtual facsimile and the digital virtual reconstruction of old or historical globes is of major importance in the restoration of globes. In many cases, the colours and letters faded on these globes. The method described in the paper will ensure the restoration without the risk of causing further damage on the existing, sometimes only copies