Alan McConchie to Discuss Open Source Cartography Nov. 16 at WWU

Alan McConchie, the lead cartographer at Stamen Design, a mapping and data visualization studio in San Francisco, will discuss open-source cartography as part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16 in Academic West 204 on the Western Washington University campus.

Open source cartography tools have given an unparalleled level of creative control over design and functionality to modern mapmakers, and freedom from the conventions of traditional cartography. In recent years, open source tools have matured, becoming easier to use and more powerful, and opening exciting new frontiers of cartography. In this presentation, McConchie will showcase past and current Stamen projects and talk about the use of an open source design process to help clients see their data with fresh eyes. He will also talk about how this approach extends to the cartographic tools they use in their work, where a careful mixture of expertise and naivety lets them break their tools in interesting ways, pushing them to their limits and finding exciting new visualizations in the process.

The presentation is free and open to the public. The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2949 or visit the website: https://huxley.wwu.edu/huxley-college-speaker-series.