Introduction au concept d’acte cybercartographique : genèse d’un atlas cybercartographique

Abstract

Cybercartography aims to rethink the way we design, use and disseminate maps on the Internet. It represents an interdisciplinary approach combining art and science, technological change and critical perspectives. This original approach is introduced in this paper through the presentation of the genesis of the Cybercartographic Atlas of Antarctica. This presentation illustrates the main characteristics of cybercartographic atlases: multisensory function, interoperability, modularity and ability to evolve. This presentation generates a discussion about the importance of rethinking the cybercartographic artifact as the outcome of a complex and subjective production process. Drawing on similar works done in different fields such as photography, the concept of “cybercartographic act” is then proposed to demonstrate that the artifact is inseparable from the act of which it is the result and that cybermaps could depict this association.

Keywords

• atlas
• cybercartography
• Internet
• photography
• Antarctic