Welcome

GIS or Geographic Information Systems is a tool used to create detailed maps of the world we live in, whether large areas or small.  But very rarely does that tool get applied to fictional places.  Most maps that you see inside to cover of a novel, or in the background of the credits of a movie, are either made with traditional paper and pen methods, or are made in illustrator and photoshop.  This is all well and good when you simply want a visual that will never change, but in this era of fan created wiki pages for the great works of fiction, sometimes fans want more.  How about a web-based map that shows the journeys of all the principal characters.  Or a map you can zoom in on to see greater detail.  Working from the map inside the cover of a novel, you can give the world it's rudimentary shape, and then start fleshing out the detail.  Ideally you'd like to be able to work with the author, to hold to their vision of the world they created, but as that isn't always possible, just think of the enhanced map as a work of fan fiction, much like a fan who writes an extra chapter or novella to fill in back story.  As I write this blog, I will share with you my insights into how to create the essentials for fictional worlds - picking fonts and symbols, projection systems, base map layers, adding detail, and improvising what isn't known.  I'll be doing all this while I work on a GIS system for one of my favourite fictional worlds, for the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.