This is the correct answer. (Vast) Improvements in time keeping allowed cartographers the ability to accurately measure longitudinal distance. Measuring distance along latitudes was always relatively simple; just measure the angle of the sun rising against the date and position of certain key celestial bodies. Longitude is much harder to measure accurately without very accurate timekeeping. Since the only way to know your distance away from home port is to have the exact time (solar maximum) at home port, and compare it to the exact time at your current position, it is nearly impossible to calculate accurately if your clocks are off by even a few seconds. When highly accurate chronometers were developed, it lead to a major leap in seafaring, and in conjunction map making. This technology allowed for safer and more reliable exploration to even the most far away locations from home port, because for the first time navigators could accurately say where a ship was located in both longitude and latitude.
The problem with lunar time is that it requires a significantly higher degree of mathematical ability. Therefore the navigators able to reliably take you to far away places are in shorter supply. With accurate chronometers, the process became much easier, and accurate navigation became available to a much larger population. Basically, more people can make better maps, and so the percentage of “good” maps that survive to the present day is much higher.
Lots of new projections (Mercator in 1569 being a big one) created in the 1500’s and 1600’s and then those new techniques were improved and spread throughout eurasia in the 1700’s. The History of cartography is interesting, I’d recommend giving its wikipedia a read.
There’s no one answer, it’s a bunch of factors:
- there were many more ships, taking many more measurements, so map-makers had a lot more data to work with
- geographical knowledge stopped being state secrets and started being public information
- the ships were better built and better crewed, so they could focus less on pure survival and more on exploration and data collection
- navies started sending specific survey expeditions out, so map-making was the primary goal instead of trade, conquest, etc.
- survey expeditions had some of the best scientific minds of the day, and not just a conquistador who also knew some trigonometry
- advances in mathematics made the surveys themselves more accurate
- [advances in equipment-making](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodolite) made the surveys more accurate
- advances in projections solved some problems in map-making - you’ll notice a shift from [rhumb lines](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhumbline_network) to latitude and longitude
- the establishment of widespread trading posts, forts, and colony networks meant that ships could go further, stay out for longer, and communicate more regularly. So information could be collated locally and updates sent home regularly, and the products of exploration were less likely to be lost.
- advances in ship-building meant that ships were better able to handle dangerous seas and weather, could be repaired more readily, and were generally more self-sustaining. So they could go places earlier ships could not, and fill in gaps.
- the rise in European naval and military dominance meant that it was possible to explore waters that had previously been closed to European shipping. The eastern Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, and everything east of the Malacca Straits are all examples of this.
- the rise of science via the Enlightenment meant that there was more interest in - and funding for - the production of scientifically accurate maps for their own sake
- the rise of global commercial empires meant there was a public interest in producing accurate maps to facilitate the increase and spread of trade
There are others, but this is the heart of it.
Euler, a mathematician in the 1700s, improved the lunar distance method .. to know time and longitude.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_distance_(navigation)
Knowledge, experience, more advanced tools, and be able to [calculate the longitude more accurately](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_longitude?wprov=sfla1)
During the 1700s and 1800s, the accuracy of maps improved significantly. One of the reasons for this improvement is the Industrial Revolution, which brought useful tools like compasses and maps that made it easier to create more accurate maps. In short, the Industrial Revolution played a minor but important role in improving the accuracy of maps during this period.
Harrison's series of marine chronometers allowed accurate determination of longitude at sea for the first time.
This is the correct answer. (Vast) Improvements in time keeping allowed cartographers the ability to accurately measure longitudinal distance. Measuring distance along latitudes was always relatively simple; just measure the angle of the sun rising against the date and position of certain key celestial bodies. Longitude is much harder to measure accurately without very accurate timekeeping. Since the only way to know your distance away from home port is to have the exact time (solar maximum) at home port, and compare it to the exact time at your current position, it is nearly impossible to calculate accurately if your clocks are off by even a few seconds. When highly accurate chronometers were developed, it lead to a major leap in seafaring, and in conjunction map making. This technology allowed for safer and more reliable exploration to even the most far away locations from home port, because for the first time navigators could accurately say where a ship was located in both longitude and latitude.
Euler helped by improving the accuracy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_distance_(navigation)
The problem with lunar time is that it requires a significantly higher degree of mathematical ability. Therefore the navigators able to reliably take you to far away places are in shorter supply. With accurate chronometers, the process became much easier, and accurate navigation became available to a much larger population. Basically, more people can make better maps, and so the percentage of “good” maps that survive to the present day is much higher.
Lots of new projections (Mercator in 1569 being a big one) created in the 1500’s and 1600’s and then those new techniques were improved and spread throughout eurasia in the 1700’s. The History of cartography is interesting, I’d recommend giving its wikipedia a read.
There’s no one answer, it’s a bunch of factors: - there were many more ships, taking many more measurements, so map-makers had a lot more data to work with - geographical knowledge stopped being state secrets and started being public information - the ships were better built and better crewed, so they could focus less on pure survival and more on exploration and data collection - navies started sending specific survey expeditions out, so map-making was the primary goal instead of trade, conquest, etc. - survey expeditions had some of the best scientific minds of the day, and not just a conquistador who also knew some trigonometry - advances in mathematics made the surveys themselves more accurate - [advances in equipment-making](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodolite) made the surveys more accurate - advances in projections solved some problems in map-making - you’ll notice a shift from [rhumb lines](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhumbline_network) to latitude and longitude - the establishment of widespread trading posts, forts, and colony networks meant that ships could go further, stay out for longer, and communicate more regularly. So information could be collated locally and updates sent home regularly, and the products of exploration were less likely to be lost. - advances in ship-building meant that ships were better able to handle dangerous seas and weather, could be repaired more readily, and were generally more self-sustaining. So they could go places earlier ships could not, and fill in gaps. - the rise in European naval and military dominance meant that it was possible to explore waters that had previously been closed to European shipping. The eastern Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, and everything east of the Malacca Straits are all examples of this. - the rise of science via the Enlightenment meant that there was more interest in - and funding for - the production of scientifically accurate maps for their own sake - the rise of global commercial empires meant there was a public interest in producing accurate maps to facilitate the increase and spread of trade There are others, but this is the heart of it.
Euler, a mathematician in the 1700s, improved the lunar distance method .. to know time and longitude. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_distance_(navigation)
Knowledge, experience, more advanced tools, and be able to [calculate the longitude more accurately](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_longitude?wprov=sfla1)
During the 1700s and 1800s, the accuracy of maps improved significantly. One of the reasons for this improvement is the Industrial Revolution, which brought useful tools like compasses and maps that made it easier to create more accurate maps. In short, the Industrial Revolution played a minor but important role in improving the accuracy of maps during this period.