XIEG Holds 52nd Salon for Scientific Exchange

The Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully held the 52nd Salon for Scientific Exchange on Dec. 15. This event featured Prof. Philippe De Maeyer, a senior professor in the Department of Geography at Ghent University, Belgium, and a specially-appointed professor at XIEG, as the keynote speaker. The event attracted over 50 Chinese and international researchers and students.

Under the theme “Communicating by Maps”, Prof. Philippe elaborated on the core value of maps as instruments for spatial information visualization. He detailed how map projections fundamentally affect the geometric accuracy of geographic features, while symbols and colors guide people’s cognition and perception.

He used the conformal Mercator projection for 16th-century navigation and the color gradients in modern mapmaking to illustrate the relationship between mapmaking techniques and cognitive outcomes.

“The purpose of a map determines the projection you will use,” Prof. Philippe emphasized. He noted that while the Mercator projection remains essential for navigation, equal-area projection, conic projection, and azimuthal projection are respectively better suited for statistical maps, regional maps, and polar maps.

During the discussion, Prof. Philippe provided a detailed overview of the joint doctoral training program between Ghent University and XIEG, offering students guidance on the application process and key considerations. He encouraged participants to actively engage with potential supervisors, fully utilize academic exchange opportunities, and showcase their capabilities, thereby fostering deeper Sino-Belgian academic cooperation and talent development.

Prof. Philippe De Maeyer is an internationally renowned scientist in the fields of cartography and geographic information science. He has long been committed to fostering collaboration between China and Belgium in these disciplines and was honored with the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2020.

Prof. Philippe gives his presentation.

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn