Tobler, Waldo (1930–)

Waldo R. Tobler is a geographer and a cartographer who has done much to expand ideas about what can be mapped and how. He was closely associated with the quantitative revolution in the 1960s, leading the move to computer mapping, developing new map projections, and applying mathematical techniques to practical questions. His interests led him to consider issues in geographical information science, and he was part of the Santa Barbara team in the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis.

Tobler was born in 1930 in Portland, Oregon, to a Swiss family. His father was the Swiss consul, with responsibility for the Pacific Northwest. Tobler completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington, having drifted into geography because he enjoyed reading maps. He proceeded to ...