Warping Waldseemüller

A Phenomenological and Computational Study of the 1507 World Map

Bibliographic Data

ID14701720
AuthorsJohn W Hessler (Library of Congress), John Hessler (Library of Congress, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume41
Issue2
Pages101-114
Publication date2006-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCartographica The International Journal for Geographic Information and Geovisualization (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0317-7173 • E-ISSN: 1911-9925
PublisherUniversity of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3138/n328-6721-3282-122n
OpenAlexW1995413153
LanguageDE
Citations received4
References cited17

The 1507 World Map by Martin Waldseemüller shows, for the first time, a depiction of the New World as a separate landmass detached from Asia. This study compares the outline of South America on the Waldseemüller map using several related computational methods. First, the projection is analysed, modelled, and compared with the modern outline of South America, which is found to be tantalizingly similar in form and location to the 1507 representation. Second, polynomial warping algorithms of the second order are applied to the world map and spatial interpolations are carried out. The newly produced regression surfaces and curves are analysed for inflection-point behaviour, and global and local correlation coefficients are calculated to give some indication of the geometric similarity between the 1507 and modern forms. The shape and location of the South American continent on the 1507 map is chronometrically problematic, since neither Balboa nor Magellan had reached the Pacific Ocean by this time. The study concludes that, based on these interpolations, it is probable that Waldseemüller had geographic information that is no longer extant or has yet to be discovered for his 1507 portrayal of the New World

Art · Cartography · Depiction · Geography · Geometry · Image (mathematics · Inflection point · Similarity (geometry · World map · Computer Science · Geographic Information Systems Studies · Historical Geography and Cartography · Mathematics · Spatial Cognition and Navigation · Artificial Intelligence

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