Mapping Grand Canyon Conference

February 28 – March 1, 2019

Arizona State University | Tempe, AZ

The Mapping Grand Canyon Conference was an event held in Spring 2019 that explored the art, science, and practice of Grand Canyon cartography. It was a celebration and critical examination of the cartographic history of a global landscape icon.

Free and open to all, the conference delivered a full two-day program of map-based story-telling, transdisciplinary analysis, state-of-the-art geospatial and cartographic demonstrations, engaging hands-on activities, and open community dialogue.

View digital program Watch recordings

100 years of Grand Canyon National Park

Portions of the Grand Canyon gained protection as a United States national park in 1919. A century later, Grand Canyon National Park celebrates its centennial -- the park is turning 100 years old! The Mapping Grand Canyon Conference was an official Grand Canyon National Park centennial event.

150 years since Powell

John Wesley Powell’s famous 1869 expedition marked the first significant geo-scientific survey of the Grand Canyon. While the maps produced during that first expedition have yet to be found, his subsequent explorations initiated the modern era of mapping, knowing, and imagining the geography of the region.

1919-2019, Grand Canyon National Park Centennial
In an illustration published in 1882, two men gaze at a sweeping, panoramic view of the vast Grand Canyon in rich spectrum of beige, orange, and brown.
Drawing of Powell and his party running rapids in the canyon.
Topographical map of the Vishnu Confluence.
Printed color map of the Kaibab National Forest showing the entire Grand Canyon National Park within the forest boundaries.
Landsat satellite image of the Grand Canyon.

 

Organizers worked to maximize sustainability practices while minimizing the event’s ecological footprint. The conference was an ASU Gold-level Sustainability Certified Green Event.

 Greening Maroon and Gold