Alan M. MacEachren (born 1952) is an American
geographer
A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...
, Professor of
Geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
and Director, GeoVISTA Center, Department of Geography, The
Pennsylvania State University. He is known for his cross-disciplinary work in the fields of human-centered
geographic visualization Geovisualization or geovisualisation (short for geographic visualization), also known as cartographic visualization, refers to a set of tools and techniques supporting the analysis of geospatial data through the use of interactive visualization.
Li ...
,
scientific
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
and
information visualization
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, a ...
, and in
statistics.
Biography
Alan MacEachren received a B.A. in
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...
in 1974 at the
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subseq ...
, an M.A. in geography in 1976 from the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
and a Ph.D. in geography 1979 from University of Kansas.
From 1979 to 1983, he was Assistant Professor of Geography at the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regi ...
and Director of the Department of Geography Cartography Laboratory. From 1980 to 1983, he was Director of the Department of Geography Spatial Analysis Laboratory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 1983, he became Assistant Professor of Geography at the
University of Colorado-Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...
and in 1985 switched to Associate Professor of Geography and Director of the Deasy GeoGraphics Laboratory at the
Pennsylvania State University, where he worked until 1992. From 1992 he was Professor of Geography, and since 1998 Director, GeoVISTA Center, Department of Geography, Penn State University. In Fall 2007 he was Visiting Professor, Department of Computer Science,
Stanford University, and since 2007 also Affiliate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State University.
Awards for Alan MacEachren in 2004-2007 include the E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Professor of Geography, College of Earth and Mineral Science, Penn State University. He became an Honorary Fellow of the
International Cartographic Association
The International Cartographic Association (ICA) (french: Association Cartographique Internationale, ''ACI''), is an organization formed of national member organizations, to provide a forum for issues and techniques in cartography and geographic ...
in 2005, making him only the sixth Fellow from the U.S. since 1974. In 2004, he was also recognized for Exceptional Scholarly Contributions to the Practice of Cartography, by the Canadian Cartographic Association.
See also
*
2.5D
2.5D (two-and-a-half dimensional) perspective refers to gameplay or movement in a video game or virtual reality environment that is restricted to a two-dimensional (2D) plane with little to no access to a third dimension in a space that other ...
*
Animated mapping
Animated mapping is the application of animation, either a computer or video, to add a temporal component to a map displaying change in some dimension. Most commonly the change is shown over time, generally at a greatly changed scale (either much ...
*
Figure-ground in map design Figure and ground or Figure ground may refer to:
* Figure and ground (media), a concept developed by media theorist Marshall McLuhan
* Figure–ground (perception)
Figure–ground organization is a type of perceptual grouping that is a vital nec ...
*
History of cartography
The history of cartography refers to the development and consequences of cartography, or mapmaking technology, throughout human history. Maps have been one of the most important human inventions for millennia, allowing humans to explain and navi ...
*
Spatial analysis
Spatial analysis or spatial statistics includes any of the formal techniques which studies entities using their topological, geometric, or geographic properties. Spatial analysis includes a variety of techniques, many still in their early deve ...
*
Theresa-Marie Rhyne
Publications
Alan MacEachren has written several books and articles. A selection:
Alan M. MacEachren
List of publications from the DBLP Bibliography Server.
* 1994. ''Visualization in modern cartography''. With D.R. Fraser (ed.). Taylor.
* 1995. ''How maps work : representation, visualization, and design '' How maps work : representation,
* 1994. ''Some truth with maps : a primer on symbolization and design''
* 1997. ''Rediscovering Geography: New Relevance for the New Century''. With 13 other authors. Washington, D. C.: National Academy of Science Press.
* 2005. ''Exploring Geovisualization''. With Jason Dykes and M.J. Kraak. International Cartographic Association.
* 2005. ''Illuminating the Path: The Research and Development Agenda for Visual Analytics''. With 25 other authors. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Department of Homeland Security.
References
External links
Alan M. MacEachren
Director, GeoVISTA Center. The Pennsylvania State University.
by Robert Kosara, 2007-04-03.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maceachren, Alan
1952 births
American geographers
Historians of cartography
Living people
Information visualization experts