22 Facts About Borden Dent

Borden D Dent was an American geographer and cartographer who served as professor emeritus and chairman of the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Georgia State University.

Borden Dent completed a B A in Geography at Towson State University before pursuing an M A in Geography from the University of California at Berkeley.

Borden Dent then went on to earn his PhD in Geography from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Borden Dent defined thematic maps as those that show “the spatial distribution of some geographical phenomenon, ” in contrast with general-purpose or reference maps that “display objects from the geographical environment.

Borden Dent said that “the key to effective map communication [lay] in cartographic design.

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In March 1972, Borden Dent published an article in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers entitled Visual Organization and Thematic Map Communication.

Borden Dent believed that cartographers should use the principles of the figure-ground relationship to better organize the visual field.

Borden Dent explained that “the visual field has two areas; the area that stands out is the figure, and the remainder is the ground” and “to improve communication, the important intellectual elements in the map should appear as figures.

Borden Dent suggested using strong, well-defined edges for the figure, articulating the figure, and depicting the figure as a closed shape.

Borden Dent concluded the article by observing that the figures on the map carry the important intellectual content, but that an effective map cannot be created without visually integrating the geographic data of the ground into the whole.

In 1985, Borden Dent published the first edition of the college textbook Principles of Thematic Map Design.

Borden Dent wrote in the introduction to the text that “ideas are conveyed in a straightforward manner that stresses the integration of modern cartographic theory and practice.

Borden Dent included information on good map design principles as well as more technical information about map projections and geodesy.

Part of the value of the text is that Borden Dent approached thematic cartography from a number of different directions.

Borden Dent offered the reader both theoretical and technical insight into the practice, but encouraged them to apply their creativity to the process.

Borden Dent published the second edition of his renamed textbook, Cartography: Thematic Map Design, in 1990.

Borden Dent added a section on geographic cartography, which he explained is “distinct from other branches of cartography in that it alone is the tool and product of the geographer.

Borden Dent published the fifth edition of Cartography: Thematic Map Design in 1999.

Borden Dent's favored map communication model had been replaced by the theories of critical cartography.

Borden Dent acknowledges the value of this new paradigm, but maintains that “as long as we communicate at all, we need some form of map design to guide us.

Borden Dent included a new section on geographic information systems in the fifth edition.

Borden Dent said that “regardless of the sophistication of technologies employed in making and designing maps, the process will continue to demand more and more of the creative energies of the designer.