{"id":1473672,"date":"2022-02-04T12:18:23","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T20:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=1473672"},"modified":"2022-02-04T18:20:25","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T02:20:25","slug":"mapmakers-mantra","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-online\/mapping\/mapmakers-mantra","title":{"rendered":"The Mapmaker\u2019s Mantra"},"author":4331,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[22941],"tags":[26451,760102,763922],"industry":[],"product":[36581,36551,36561,36611,36991],"class_list":["post-1473672","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mapping","tag-cartography","tag-ethics","tag-mapmaking","product-arcgis-living-atlas","product-arcgis-online","product-arcgis-pro","product-story-maps","product-arcgis-desktop"],"acf":{"short_description":"The Mapmaker's Mantra reminds the mapmaking community of their ethical and moral responsibility to tell the truth with maps.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Maps are widely regarded as objective and authoritative sources of information. Over the past decade, news and other information sources have often been distorted on social media, eroding their authority. It\u2019s our hope that we can help avoid a similar erosion of cartographic credibility by drafting this \u201cMapmaker\u2019s Mantra.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mantra is not a code of ethics for cartography. It focuses solely on mapmaking, not the many other facets of cartography. It aims at the making of maps that convey authoritative information, not maps for advertisements, propaganda, and the like. Its goal is to preserve the authority of maps by reminding the mapmaking community of their ethical and moral responsibility to tell the truth with maps.<\/p>\n

The Mapmaker\u2019s Mantra<\/h2>\n

Maps made ethically convey their message accurately, justifiably, and thoroughly. As a mirror of the world, they help people to develop deeper geographic understanding which can lead to wiser spatial decision making. Thus, ethical mapmakers recognize the power of maps and do not accept incautious practices in their own work or the work of others. Widespread ethical mapmaking will ensure that the authority of maps endures.<\/p>\n

This Mapmaker\u2019s Mantra is presented with the intention of reinforcing ethical behavior in mapmaking:<\/p>\n