| What is the inspiration for the company name 'MappaGnosis'? |
MappaGnosis is a portmanteau word that summarises the essence of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) - that is: deriving knowledge from the analysis and cartographic presentation of geo-locational data. MappaGnosis is a play on historical mapping and is built out of 'Mappa Mundi' (Map of the world) and the opposite of Terra Ignota (unknown land), that is known land. Gnosis is one of the Greek words for knowledge, which does make 'MappaGnosis' a bit of mix between Latin and Greek, although the word 'gnosticus' (the knowledgeable ones) appears in late Latin. Through the application of GIS we gain knowledge about our world.
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| What does Hic non sunt dracones mean and why is it the company slogan? |
Simply: 'here are no dragons'. Hic sunt dracones and hic sunt liones ('here be dragons' and 'here be lions' respectively) were sometimes used as a substitute for 'terra ignota' to denote places about which the cartographers of old knew nothing. GIS is the knight that slays these dragons. The slogan works on another level too. For some, the sight of GRASS GIS or ESRI's ArcGIS in full flight is intimidating. MappaGnosis can tame this dragon too!
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| What is Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)? |
PPGIS is many things, but essentially it is the application of GIS and mapping for local social empowerment. It was the subject of the PhD thesis that the Principal Consultant of MappaGnosis completed (many years ago) and the basis for the continued interest in 3D modelling for public participation in planning within this consultancy.
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| How was the logo at the top of the page created? |
The scene is a simplified 3D model of Scolty hill, which lies south-west of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was created with a system developed by MappaGnosis to automatically generate 3D terrain models from Ordnance Survey data. This is the same system as was used to generate the underlying model used in the 3D lenticular maps available through DeepMaps. This system can be used in conjunction with aerial photography to rapidly create very realistic landscape models, into which trees, buildings, wind turbines, pylons and other significant features can be added. For simplicity within the logo, trees and buildings have been left out of this example.
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| Where can I get answers to technical GIS questions? |
It may be quicker and ultimately to get MappaGnosis to do the work for you! On the other hand you can try posting your question on the excellent GIS Stack Exchange forum. Dr Jonathan Ball's reputation is in the top 30 on this site despite having been registered for less than half the time of many of the other top users.
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