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The Atlas of Cyberspace
illustrates graphically, the shapes, structures and complex forms
of the Internet, the World-Wide Web and other virtual media.
Drawing on five years worth of research, and divided into four
key sections - infrastructure and traffic, information navigation,
community and communication, artistic visions - the best and
most interesting maps of cyberspace have been compiled into this
unique atlas for the Internet age.
Why create an Atlas
of Cyberspace?
For several thousand years humans have created maps of the world
around them as a means of understanding, and controlling, that
world. The maps in the Atlas of Cyberspace are important as they
are powerful in framing our conception of the new virtual worlds
beyond our computer screens. More and more of our time and leisure
and business activities are spent in virtual space and yet it
is a space that is difficult to comprehend and mentally visualise.
Moreover, it is a space in which it easy to get lost and confused.
Many of the cyberspace mapping projects try give it spatial structure
in order to make sense of it and the transactions that take place
there. Because, with the exception of the supporting infrastructure
- fibre-optic cables, servers, satellites and so on - cyberspace
is composed of computer code with no material existence, the
research underlying these new maps is also important as it is
pushing back the boundaries of cartography and how we interact
with maps, creating interactive and dynamic representations which
are light-years from the heavy leather bound paper atlases you'll
find in the local library. Some of the maps now have historical
significance as they chart the development of old computer networks
from decades ago that no longer exist. Other maps in this collection
are simply beautiful to look at, possessing powerful aesthetic
qualities in their own right.
Mapping cables and computers
At a basic level, it is relatively easy to map the locations
of telecommunications infrastructure such as cables and computer
servers onto real-world geography. This type of cartographic
approach can well illustrate how computers are physically wired
together to create complex networks that link cities and countries
across the globe. It also reveals the uneven geographic distribution
of infrastructure and those areas of the world that have poor
access to cyberspace or are presently completely excluded.
Geographic maps of infrastructure
are also commonly employed by network owners for two reasons.
First, they are useful to network engineers to monitor traffic
flows and network performance. Second, they are used as promotional
tools to demonstrate to potential customers how extensive and
capable their networks are. The cartographic techniques employed
can vary substantially, including interactive 3D globe representations
and dynamic maps that update in real-time.
Mapping information
The Internet, and the Web in particular, is a large and rapidly
growing information resource. Quite literally billions of pieces
of information are stored on computers around the globe and they
can be potentially accessed in seconds. However, searching and
navigating this information can be difficult, especially when
it is composed of long lists of references. Finding useful and
relevant information, in a timely fashion can be very frustrating
as most Web users will be only too aware. One experimental solution
has been to spatialise large information collections - that is
to summarize and characterize the information using a map-like
representation where location, distance and proximity in the
display represent key aspect of the data (e.g. the more related
the information, the closer together it is drawn on the map).
The result is an information map that summarizes the content
thousands of pieces of information on a single screen and which
can be navigated like a conventional map. Information mapping
exploits the fact that people generally find it easier to process
and understand visual displays than large volumes written text
or columns of numbers. This processes is known as spatialisations
and different algorithms can produce variety of map forms, ranging
from simple 2D maps to immersive 3D fly-through data-landscapes,
and in scale from individual websites up to large sections of
the Web.
Mapping who's talking
One of the most popular features of cyberspace is its ability
to support communication and foster a sense of community between
people who are geographically dislocated. Millions of people
meet virtually everyday to talk, argue, flirt, joke and so on,
using a variety of online media channels - email, mailing lists,
bulletin boards, instant messaging, chat rooms, MUDs, virtual
worlds, shared game spaces. Trying to comprehend this babble
of voices and the diverse social relations being created is difficult,
even sometimes for those doing the talking. One recent method
employed has been the use of spatialisation, mapping the conversation
itself, the relationships between talkers, and the social environment
people virtually occupy (e.g. the virtual town).
Imagining what cyberspace
might look like
The Atlas of Cyberspace also looks beyond the bounds of conventional
atlases to consider the ways in which cyberspace is being envisioned
and imagined by writers, film makers, artists and architects.
These visualisations and mappings are important creative works
in their own right, providing an often critical way in which
to think about cyberspace and its structure, content and operation.
These visions have added relevance, however, because they often
a source of inspiration and 'blueprints' for designers, programmers
and creators of the code that is cyberspace. This has particularly
been the case with fiction in the past - for example William
Gibson's 1984 novel Neuromancer is widely cited as a formative
influence by many computer scientists. In the Atlas of Cyberspace,
we review the best artistic and architectural projects that seeking
to examine cyberspace's spatial form and structure.
Mapping the future
The Atlas of Cyberspace provides a fascinating insight into how
researchers, designers and artists are trying to understand the
Internet's infrastructure, the traffic that flows through it,
and envisage the multiple virtual worlds and communication it
supports. It will be of interest to anyone who has ever wondered
what cyberspace looks like.
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