On 15th November 2006, Mok Ly Yng presented the “History of Mapping in Singapore 1819-2002″ for the International Map Trade Association (IMTA) Global Conference.

IMTA has now put the presentation slides on the web as a 10.14MB pdf file, converted from the original PowerPoint file.

Interestingly, this talk was presented on the ‘International GIS Day’ for the year 2006!

Ly Yng explained the background to the presentation in a recent email (04 Feb 2007):

“Sometime in 1997 I needed a handy reference on the history of mapping in Singapore. I had just started work in the National Mapping Agency of Singapore then. But I could not find anything, not a single documentation which could answer my questions.

I spent the next ten years trying to find and piece together this story. This is still work in progress but at long last the major framework has been established. There are other branches of the story which have not been researched yet, but at least the existence of those branches are now known.

Thanks to the many people in the Singapore-Heritage mailing list who have helped me in one way or another in getting the information I needed for the story. There are people who spent their precious off-days running errants for me in London and collecting documents all over the city. Sacrificing hours of sleeping time sitting inside the British Library, scrutinising and recording the details of maps and so on. I must apologise that at the moment I can only show my appreciation by writing about it. Thanks also to the ‘anonymous’ donor of many of the digital maps used in the presentation slides “

A note on a slide on the “Origin of Co-ordinates of Singapore.”

“Near the end of the file is a slide on the “Origin of Co-ordinates of Singapore. I think a truly ‘Uniquely Singapore’ phenomenon that our historical Origin of Co-ordinates is in a publicly accessible building, and a National Heritage monument at that!

What’s more, if someone is telling the story within the auditorium of the Asian Civilisations Museum, the ‘You are here!’ circle would coincide more or less with the Origin of Co-ordinates itself!”"

Other articles by Mok Ly Yng:

• “Where is the Geographical Origin of Coordinates of Singapore?” Mok Ly Yng & Helmer Aslaksen. Helmer Aslaksen’s webpage, c. 2001.
• “What time is it really?” By Mok Ly Yng. In “Why is Singapore in the “Wrong” Time Zone?” Helmer Aslaksen’s webpage, c. 2001.
• “Singapore from Space – 40 years.” By Mok Ly Yng. Singapore Heritage Mailing List, 09 Aug 2005. Republished in Habitatnews, 10 Aug 2005. Images available in Habitatnews Flickr album.
• “Little Red Dot: a short story.” By Mok Ly Yng. Yesterday.sg, 12 Apr 2006.
• “Shedding light on Hong Kah: Part 2.” By Mok Ly Yng. Yesterday.sg, 06 Apr 2006.
• “History of the Meteorological Service in Sg & Msia.” By Mok Ly Yng. Yesterday.sg, 25 Mar 2006.