Discussion: Great article, Illustrations hidden in maps

The marmot, fish, and hiker: okay. But I think the naked woman, the spider, and the face are the results of overactive imaginations.

peggyd told me a story once of a map that came up once for her professionally that portrayed actual field data (maybe involving troop movements or something) but that actually looked somewhat pornographic, by coincidence. I don't remember if she said that they came up with some way to alter it.

Close! It was a rubber field and a rubber plantation. And rubber is related to the image it made ...
Yes, we had to alter it.

And, this is fantastic stuff. I see a blog post about these maps in my future ...

This map of the world used to have some individual contributions airbrushed into the shaded relief. I forget exactly what it was, maybe signatures of the airbrush artists. I don't know if they still use that airbrush work in the current version. It was back in the 80's when I was working on it and saw it.

There were definitely some West Point orienteering maps with easter eggs buried in them.

Oh Yuck!

:-) But there are more.

Sometimes you don't have to do any altering. Look at a map of the western part of the province of Ontario in Canada and you see an elephant looking south. Then look for the town of Owen Sound.

On the Indiana University campus, there is a building that the overhead view bears a superficial resemblance to the Star Trek Enterprise. Look closely at the orienteering map, and you'll see that the mapper put the letters NCC 1701 on the forward curve of the building.

I'll have to consider adding some jelly beans or eggs for our Egg Orienteering meets near Easter. And maybe some ghosts or spiders for our Trail of Treats in October...

Check this orienteering map. There is an unusual combination of features on an island in the middle of one of the lakes.

I've certainly seen a few maps of the areas affected by various Australian severe thunderstorm warnings which look a bit like the shapes that Peggy was finding.

I see a green creature in this recent local map ...I think it is accidental