Kartografie met bewuste vertekening

Cartographers distort reality, to allow map users to perceive it correctly. Hill-shading, classification, generalization etc. are all methods that aim at simplifying reality and making it easier to comprehend. Likewise, by opting for specific mapping methods, reality is distorted, and specific data categories are highlighted. Map projections are another type of distortion, that lead map users on to perceive wrong relationships. All these types of distortion - aimed at a better understanding of reality - have in common that cartographers know about their side effects, and thus can offset them. As cartography has been democratized, everyone now is able to visualize spatial data, but is not necessarily aware of this inherent distortion. It should be the cartographers' task to make available this knowledge, and for instance indicate wherever this might apply, for which type of map use and analysis the resulting maps would be (un)suitable.