Maps are important in design and construction. During the project conception, we compare various locations and alternatives. We travel to places without addresses and consider the complexity, cost and value of building something. During construction, we struggle through the logistics of getting things from where they are to where they need to be.

From the time I was eight years old, I remember loving maps. As our family of seven drove to Florida in the station wagon, I was following our progress on a AAA map marked with a highlighter. That was before Rt 95 was completed and we’d go through little shack towns on Rt 301 in SC. I’d find the town we just left and the one we were entering next.

I loved finding where we were and knowing where we were going. I was surprised to hear others complain about not being able to fold the map correctly…it was so simple and logical. It’s said that to torture an engineers, tie them in a chair and incorrectly fold maps in front of them.

Maps are more than just information for getting somewhere. Well-designed maps clearly show multi-dimensional levels of data that improve the journey. Lex recently showed me such a map, the “The Essential Geography of the United States of America” which won the best of show award at the Cartography and Geographic Information Society.

This masterful map was lovingly created by David Imus to show the many aspects of the geography of the USA in a clear way. He spent two years designing and detailing the map (not using the teams of low paid drafters and checkers most big firms use) and thought through every piece of info on the map. It helps you visualize the physical arrangement of the country by clearly showing the following 10 elements: Global position, relative elevation, landforms, land cover, water, political units, city populations, landmarks, transportation and time zones.

You should have a copy of this map on the wall of your home or office. Children should be able to see and study this map regularly. I bought a copy for my ten year old grandson and one for me. If the topic interests you, read this free 12 page pamphlet written by David Imus that explains how the map was designed and works. Buy a copy and put it on your wall. Understand the USA better. Give your brain a workout.

On a related note, the drawings we produce for construction projects should benchmark from this map. Imagine if we struggled to have more useful and easy to understand info on prints, rather than the same notes copied over and over by draftsman who don’t understand what we are building. This map motivates me to push for better drawings on my projects. If we accept the crappy drawings produced and don’t push for higher quality, then we’re part of the problem.