Now every profession has its own professional holiday. People who work on compiling maps also have it. The day of the surveyor and cartographer is celebrated in the first spring month every second Sunday, regardless of whether it coincides with other holidays or not. So, in 2009, it came on March 8th. For those who do not associate themselves with card making, this holiday goes unnoticed, which is absolutely wrong. After all, if you look, the work of cartographers and surveyors is important for each of us.
How the holiday came about
When marking the day of the surveyor in Russia, he determined the Decree of the President, signed in 2000 on November 11. The month was not chosen by chance. It was in March 1720 that the Great Tsar
Peter I issued a Decree on the necessity and mandatory conduct of cartographic work in all areas of the Russian state. And in March 1919, the Soviet government, in the person of the Council of People's Commissars, signed the Decree on the Establishment of the Voronezh State University (Higher Geodetic Administration). Surveyors' Day in Ukraine is combined with the
day of the geologist and celebrated in April, every first Sunday of the month. Sometimes it falls on April 1 and coincides with the day of laughter. There are some organizations that celebrate the professional holiday of surveyors and cartographers on March 15, in honor of the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars, issued back in 1919.
Cartographers of antiquity
The one who thinks that maps are needed only to determine an object on the ground is mistaken. With the help of them you can even study the history of our planet! It is believed that the first more or less accurate images of the area appeared in the 14-15 centuries of our era. But they existed long before the birth of Christ. An example of this is the map of the Greek scientist Ptolemy, on which the outlines of all the continents, including Antarctica, are perfectly visible. In the future, many cartographers of the Middle Ages used his works. The French scientist Oronius Finaeus (Orontheus Finius) as early as 1531 presented the world with a map of Antarctica, that is, almost 300 years before its official discovery! Even earlier, in 1513, Antarctica was depicted on the map of Piri Reis, admiral, scientist and the most outstanding eunuch of Constantinople. There were other compilers, which are worth mentioning on the day of the cartographer and surveyor. They left us maps of the coldest continent on Earth without ice, with the exact location of rivers, lakes and hills, which modern scientists only found out in the 20th century.
The Riddle of Atlantis
The venerable Plato as early as the VI century BC posed a mystery to humanity about Atlantis. Since then, it has been eagerly searched for in one corner of the Earth, then in another. Thanks to the ancient maps of Antarctica, drawn up with amazing accuracy, a version of the existence of a dead civilization arose there. The works of cartographers unknown to us, who lived 6 or more thousand years ago and did not assume that they would someday celebrate the day of the surveyor and cartographer, allowed modern scientists to make many discoveries. Thanks to their maps, it was established that a very mild climate close to the Mediterranean was very long ago in Antarctica. There flowed rivers, green gardens. Under such conditions, an ancient civilization could well exist on the mainland. In the 20th century, scientists conducted seismic, in-depth studies on the ice continent, drilled ice strata and took samples. Studies have confirmed that ancient cartographers drew their maps with astonishing accuracy. How they did this without having a single modern device is unknown.
Mapping Methods
Each map has a grid of coordinates (longitude and latitude). Now they use a chronometer to determine longitude. The first such device was invented in the 18th century by John Harrison. Before that, the compilers of the maps determined longitude by observing the eclipse of the satellites, and latitude by the angle of inclination of the earth's luminary above the horizon. The location of objects they were determined visually, and the distance was measured by cords or using a wheel. It was scrolled from object to object, and then the rim length was multiplied by the number of revolutions. But in order to draw the contours of distant continents, it was necessary either to reach them, or to study them from a great height. Now they are doing it with the help of aerial photography, using satellites, and before? It remains a mystery how people who lived 5-6 or more millennia ago managed to draw quite accurately the outlines of continents unknown to them.
Sailing
In the 13th century, a compass was invented, which greatly facilitated the work of cartographers. In those days, not only land maps were compiled, but also sea maps used by sailors. It was just this that lay in the chest of
Christopher Columbus. With the development of seafaring and the advent of precision instruments, mapping has greatly expanded and improved. Many states equipped expeditions to explore unknown lands. As a result, the maps became more accurate, and the first globe appeared. It was created by the German
Martin Beheim. A little later, Gerhardt Mercator and Abraham Ortelius composed the world's first atlas. It is believed that it was Mercator who invented the science of cartography. On the day of the surveyor and cartographer, many mention his name. It was this scientist who introduced the system of geographical signs and cartographic projections. In the 18th century, they began to measure the height of objects above sea level, which marked the beginning of topography.
Cartography in Russia
In Russia, as in all developed countries, great importance was attached to knowing the location of rivers, lakes, forests, cities, and the roads between them. Even Ivan the Terrible issued an order to draw up a detailed drawing of the area. As a result, the so-called “Big Drawing” appeared, which has been lost so far. All that remains for us is a comment on this work. But copies of the map of Siberia, which were compiled by order of Peter Godunov in 1667, were preserved. And
Fedor Godunov, using the "Big Drawing", made his map. And although he was king for only a couple of months, the cartographer was excellent. Peter I, thanks to whose decree we celebrate the day of the surveyor in March, not only took over the baton according to cartography of Russia, but also made this issue one of the most important in the state. To carry out the work, Peter I invited foreign engravers, detachment of the best domestic officers and surveyors (Kozhin and Urusov). Later, the first Atlas of Russia with 19 maps of various regions was published.
Modern cartography
Cartography also developed after Peter I. Paul I entrusted this work to the military department, Alexander I founded the corps of military topographers, and Nicholas I approved the creation of the Pulkovo Observatory. Mapping methods and technologies continued to improve. In the twentieth century, cartographers began to use lithographic and photochemical methods of depicting objects. Electronic technology, the invention of plotters, printers, scanners, and the use of aerial photography have further improved the process of creating accurate maps. Now without them it is impossible to imagine our life. Maps are used by motorists and tourists, geologists and builders. Surveyors make plans for them, cadastres, maps of railways and roads. Surveyors' Day in 2014 fell on March 9, just after the women's holiday. The President congratulated the surveyors and cartographers of the country and wished them further success in work.
Congratulations on the Day of the Surveyor and Cartographer
On the streets of cities and villages, you can often see people with a rail, level or theodolite. They take measurements, determine the correct geographical position of objects, and perform angle snapping. You can congratulate them on their professional holiday in simple words, or poetry. For example, such:
Surveyors, atlases and maps of all compilers,
Your work is truly invaluable
You are every hillock of the earth’s abode,
The streams and rivers that flow through it,
Measure a hundred times, check a hundred times
And draw us a map for centuries
Share your leisure with bad weather
Look down upon difficulties.
So let him smile more often
Good luck, and fate keeps you from troubles,
Let all your ideas be fulfilled,
And happiness will be enough for you for a hundred years!