In the Renaissance, with the renewed interest in classical works, maps became more like surveys once again, while the discovery of the Americas by Europeans and the subsequent effort to control and divide those lands revived interest in scientific mapping methods.
U renesansi su, s ponovnim otkrićem klasičnih djela, karte postale otprilike kao prošli pregledi, dok je europsko otkriće Amerika i naknadni napor za kontrolu i podjelu tih zemalja oživjelo interes za znanstvene metode kartiranja.