Scott McCune’s mesmerizing map of global shipwrecks is a great example of harmonizing a map’s projection and subject matter to tell a story. We connected with McCune, a senior geographic information system (GIS) specialist in the offshore wind energy industry, to learn more about how he created such an intuitive map from nearly 95,000 data points.
Maps.com: What inspired you to create this map? What do you hope readers take away from it?
McCune: I suppose my inspiration for this map is really the greater online GIS/mapping community. I see such fantastic projects and graphics that some of my peers pull together, and selfishly I feel I want to rise to that level and test my skills outside of my usual nine-to-five. In that vein, I had seen some maps making use of the Spilhaus projection to highlight marine data, which I found really interesting. I had been working with some great shipwreck datasets through work, and the notion of combining these two aspects together intrigued me. The map wasn’t really intended for an audience per se; rather, I just wanted to create it through sheer personal interest. If people were to take anything from the map, I’d hope it reminded them of how vast our planet’s oceans and seas are and, by extension, how extremely important they are to us.
Maps.com: Can you share some details about how you built this map?
McCune: This is a map which I feel gives the cartographer a lot of bang for our buck. It was created purely through desktop GIS software and only utilised relatively straightforward tools. The Spilhaus projection is a real eye-catching one, and that was how I began the design. From there, I pulled in the focal point dataset relating to wrecks and obstructions from the British Admiralty and projected it to fit into the natural frame created by Spilhaus. In order to tidy up the map frame to give the impression of one world ocean, the map had to be duplicated a number of times, and each duplication moved (one to the top, left, right, and bottom of the main map frame). From there, it was simply a case of styling and labeling—a relatively easy task, but one which can be difficult to get right in the context of the map.
Maps.com: Did you always intend to build a map focused on global shipwrecks?
McCune: For a time, I started to dig into the attribute information of the wrecks data and found it to be somewhat of a rabbit hole. The wealth of information was just astounding, and this map came very close to being solely focused on German U-boats versus Allied shipping losses across the world wars. The scale of these conflicts really came across when viewed against the backdrop of the Spilhaus projection, and it really highlighted the global nature of the wars—and how fundamental the ocean theatres were to them.
Maps.com: If you could revisit or update this map, would you make any changes?
McCune: I don’t think so, at least nothing major. This map really taught me that it doesn’t always take a very long time to create something eye-catching and interesting, and I think that blend of data and geography through technology is part of the beauty of modern mapmaking.
Maps.com: Can you talk a little bit about your passion for mapping and how it became a career for you?
McCune: It’s a massive cliché, but I’ve loved maps since I was really young. I used to sit at the kitchen table for hours and draw illegible scribbles that, to me, resembled elaborate cities, motorways, and rivers. In reality, they probably looked more like bad portions of inky spaghetti. That love of geography eventually translated into my pursuit of a career in GIS. I’d just finished a degree in history and it was dawning on me how difficult it would be to find meaningful work in that sector. Through sheer luck and panic, looking for alternatives in the final few months of my course, I happened upon GIS, and—to pardon the pun of my degree—the rest was history. Since then, I’ve built my career around mapping. It makes up a huge part of my profession and I still find myself wanting to create and design [maps] even after I clock off. I’d say it’s just one of those things I’ve naturally been drawn to, and I count myself extremely lucky that I’ve gotten into a position where I can do what I love for a living.
Maps.com: Do you have a favorite map?
McCune: It’s very difficult to pick a single favourite, but I’ve always been drawn to classical or historic mapping. My home office walls are plastered in Bartholomew’s half-inch-to-mile topographic maps, showing the lochs, glens, and mountains of the Scottish Highlands. I think something about those old-school maps from the 19th century printed onto linen just really appeal to me as a history buff who loves some good, solid cartography!
Maps.com: Are there other topics or projects you’d like to explore for a map?
McCune: It’s the start of the summer in Ireland and, despite the typical gray weather, that gives us a small weather window to get out on the golf course. As an avid golfer, I’m looking to collect data from my rounds throughout the season and, at the end of it, turn my golf game into some informative (and hopefully interesting) mapping.
