Discovery flows from mapping for conservation planning: the case of finding and mapping of Second World War British Hong Kong defence structures

Abstract

This article develops MacEachren’s summary of contemporary approaches to cartography as communication as a one-way flow of map information. The Hong Kong experience shows that large-scale government survey maps can be used by non-specialists to (re)discover and identify, for conservation planning purposes, very small Second World War defence structures not annotated on those maps. By accumulating information and field studies, non-specialists can produce specialist maps as a contribution to conservation planning. The issues of a market for military heritage buildings and the actual role the government cartographer played in conservation mapping are discussed.