Globusy elektroniczne - innowacje w kartografii

Autor omawia renesans globusów, jako środka przekazywania informacji o całej kuli ziemskiej w kontekście globalizacji. Omówiono kilka systemów informacji globalnej.

Global visualization and monitoring of the planet are some of the current scientific tasks. Global warming of the climate, global pollution of the environment, global spreading of disease, global conflicts and global geopolitical interests, transcontinental economic structures, global division of labor etc. all require innovative technologies of global mapping and presentation on globes. The history of globes of the Earth and heavens spheres show that these amazing inventions of human mind take many forms, have many uses, show various features and big thematic variety. At the beginning of the third millennium globes were reborn in a virtual digital form. They exist on computer screens, are carried on notebook hard disks and downloaded from the Internet. Cartography made a significant step forward in its development: a cartographic large-scale model of a global electronic-information system of Planet Earth was created, capable of continuous updating. Globes are a good example of an old invention getting a new life at the next stage of cognition and development of technology. Global electronic large-scale mapping and multi-stage generalization allow for interactive transition from globes to maps and back. 'Personal' globes-atlases have been prepared not only for the Earth, but also for other planets of the solar system.