The British Cartographic Society (BCS) is an association of individuals and organisations dedicated to exploring and developing the world of maps. It is a registered charity. Membership includes mapping companies, publishers, designers, academics, researchers, map curators, individual cartographers, GIS specialists and ordinary members of the public with an interest in maps.
The BCS is regarded as one of the world's leading cartographic societies and its main publication, The Cartographic Journal, is recognised internationally. Membership of the Society can be useful for making contacts and keeping up with developments.
The BCS promotes all aspects of cartography to a wide range of potential users.
One of the aims of the Society is to encourage better mapping by providing medals and prizes to individuals or companies who have shown excellence in this field. The annual BCS awards includes categories such as:
The Stanfords Award for printed mapping
The Avenza Award for electronic mapping
The John C. Bartholomew Award for small scale mapping
The OS OpenData Award
The BCS Award for the best overall entry as judged from the above four categories
The Society Medal for a distinguished contribution to cartography
The Henry Johns Award for the best paper published in The Cartographic Journal
The Ian Mumford Award for excellence in cartographic research undertaken by a student
The Esri UK New Mapmaker Award (formerly the National Geographic Award) for those starting out in cartographic or related industries
New Mapmaker Award Winners:
2001: Laura Stewart, University of Edinburgh Can Geographical Information Systems be used to Propose Areas for Storage of Floodwater?
2002: Edward Merritt, Oxford Brookes University An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Paraline Diagrams for Mapping the Urban Environment
2003: Esme Farewell, Oxford Brookes University Cambridge for Children
2004: Donna Watkin, Oxford Brookes University Modern cartographic methods as a key to understanding land use in Drayton St Leonards: 1793 - 2003
2005: Shannon Brassard, Centre of Geographic Sciences, Nova Scotia Community College, CanadaPrince Albert: Celebrating 100 Years
2006: Paul A Light, COGS, Canada National Parks & Historic Sites of Western Newfoundland and Labrador
2007: Alexander Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University An Analysis of the Cartographic Language of European State Topographic Maps: Aesthetics, Style, and Identity
2008: Wesley Jones, NSCC Centre of Geographic Sciences, Canada Dry Belt, Settlement and Abandonment of Southeast Alberta and Southwest Saskatchewan, 1908 to 1926
2009: Christoph Hoesli, Institute of Geography at the University of Bern, Switzerland Southern Sudan Topographic Base Map Series: Map Sheet E - Eastern Equatorial
2010: Michael Graves, Kingston University Road to the World Cup South Africa 2010)
2011: Mike Wilburn, University of Oregon, USA Mount Rainier: A Climber’s Paradise
UKHO Junior Mapmaker Award to encourage map making at primary and secondary school level (run every other year from 2008)
The Society also publishes a variety of periodicals and books, including:
A Celebration of 50 years of the British Cartographic Society, published by the Society to mark its 50th anniversary
Cartography - an introduction a practical A6 64pp guide to making better maps
The Cartographic Journal the official peer-reviewed periodical of the Society
Maplines - the Society's magazine
Maps and Surveys - the newsletter of the Historical Military Mapping Group
Cartographiti - the newsletter of the Map Curators' Group
Map Curators Toolbox - an online resource supported by the Map Curators' Group
Directory of UK Map Collections - an online resource detailing major map collections in the UK
Careers in Cartography - an online resource providing answers to the ever-increasing number of enquiries concerning the possibilities of employment in the mapping industry
The Society holds not-for-profit events open to the public and any interested parties to help raise the profile of cartography in Britain and facilitate the exchange of information and ideas amongst the members of the Society and others. They also aim to advance cartographic education and encourage research through such events.
Examples of regular events:
Symposium - Annual 3-day gathering held in June each year (from 2009), for cartographers and associated professionals.
Restless Earth Workshops - Outreach Programme to schools running FREE to attend workshops for Year 10 secondary school students on mapping natural disasters.
Group Events - The Society's Special Interest Groups (Map Design, Historical Military Mapping, and GIS) also hold events for their membership: i.e.: Design Group Meetings, Study/Lecture Days, Half day workshops or lectures.
Map Curators’ Workshop - Annual gathering held in September each year, for Map Curators.
50th Anniversary Special events:
GIS and Web Cartography - by Jack Dangermond, Esri President at the Royal Air Force Club, London - Friday 25 October 2013, 11:00.
Reflections of a Map Man - In association with the British Library, The British Cartographic Society invites you to attend ‘Reflections of a Map Man’ by Nicholas Crane at the Conference Centre, British Library, London - Monday 25 November 2013, 18:30.
