Category: News

  • In the field

    This week I’m in the Cotswolds with CENTA (Central England NERC Training Alliance) and For The Love Of Mapping for the annual ‘Field TRiPP’.

    It’s a week-long residential in which first year researchers get to immerse themselves in policy and environmental science, while also building bonds with their peers. I’m leading a group of enthusiastic PhD researchers exploring sustainability in a very local context.

    Based at the Sustain Farm Shop and Cafe in Royal Wootton Bassett for the day, we heard from Nick Ash (Sustain Wiltshire), John Turton and Tim Payne (Sustain Cotswolds). Both community interest companies (CIC), they demonstrated the ways in which they’re taking immediate and impactful action – despite the slooooow pace of bureaucracy.

    We’ve toured a pretty impressive concept at a local landfill site which will use methane emissions to power, heat and inflate innovative ‘super-midden’ plant growth domes.

    We’ve also had a glimpse of ‘better’ – ideas that work, today, for communities as well as business. This included great insight from Umesh Kathirvel at stepzero.eco on the platform he and his team have built for SMEs looking to become more sustainable.

    Today, my group are putting together a video showcasing everything we’ve seen and heard. Can’t wait to see it!

    It’s a lot fun and genuinely quite inspirational. No matter how bleak the headlines, there’s always hope.

    Hope – and the power of community. Cracking stuff.

  • I love what I do…

    …and I love what we do at For The Love Of Mapping!

    My highlight of the week was delivering three days of tailored GIS training to the CENTA (Central England NERC Training Alliance) DTP, supported by Jamie MacManaway (a doctoral researcher based at Loughborough University, and all round good egg).

    It’s been a lot of fun – and a lot more preparation. I’ve enjoyed it all.

    Obviously I like maps and it’s always a joy sharing that passion, but I’ve also relished spending time with PhD researchers after a while away from the lab. If you want a handle on the state of the world, it’s always worth taking the time to talk to those working at the forefront of R&D. Great chats were had, and I left my own training course feeling like I’d learned lots, too.

    Behind the scenes, Nick and I are planning some big things. Naturally, maps are involved. You’ll have to sit tight before I can share much more, though…

    I’ve also held the first interview for a book I’m co-writing, and got the ball rolling on a potential work placement I hope to host this summer. I even managed to find the time to catch-up on those more urgent emails, which is NEVER a sentence I expected to type 🤣

    I’m back in Shrewsbury for a week or two, now, and looking forward to a couple of events at the Croud Meadow and the Abbey, networking with fellow SMEs. You know the score by now: I love getting to know you all and if you fancy a chat over a cuppa, I’m always keen.

    Thanks for reading and, if you celebrate, have a great weekend. Don’t forget to check in with your friendly local cartographer!

    – Tom

  • We’re in business!

    Welcome to For The Love Of Mapping Limited, and thanks for popping by.

    In autumn 2025, my friend Nick and I set-up For The Love Of Mapping (or ‘FTLOM’) to share our love for maps and mapping. Our goal is quite simply to make excellent maps.

    We offer GIS ‘as a service’, perhaps paired with expertise in cutting edge remote sensing. We also offer eye catching and, from time to time, thought-provoking maps and ‘map art’ you might hang on a wall. As storytellers, we think maps and a sense of place are integral to crafting an engaging tale.

    As scientists and geospatial enthusiasts who love the great outdoors, we’ll also offer training courses and ‘field experiences’ in the very near future. Think: map-making masterclasses, introductions to satellite mapping and days out exploring the coast ahd country.

    It’s been a busy first few weeks, engaging with multiple customers to create maps and deliver graphic design. While we respect our clients discretion, we’re happy to share that we’re working on two international projects focussing on supply chains and, separately, on novel sensor datasets.

    As a freshly-minted business finding our feet, we’ll be tweaking and tinkering with our website. Keep an eye on this page for updates, developments and additions to our core mapmaking offer.

    Cheers!
    Tom