Olaf Nikolas Olsen
Encyclopedia
Olaf Nikolas Olsen was a cartographer and an officer of the Danish army. He taught cartography at the Royal Cadet
School and from 1830 on also at the new Army Academy. In 1836 was made a member of the General Staff, and in 1842 he was named head of the topographic
department of the staff, with the rank of a Major
. In 1848, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
.
As a cartographer, he edited and published many maps of Europe. In his function at the General Staff, he directed the publication of the Danish Ordnance Maps. He also oversaw the publication of the first complete map of Iceland
after a survey
done by Björn Gunnlaugsson
in the years 1831 to 1843.
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
School and from 1830 on also at the new Army Academy. In 1836 was made a member of the General Staff, and in 1842 he was named head of the topographic
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
department of the staff, with the rank of a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. In 1848, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
.
As a cartographer, he edited and published many maps of Europe. In his function at the General Staff, he directed the publication of the Danish Ordnance Maps. He also oversaw the publication of the first complete map of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
after a survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
done by Björn Gunnlaugsson
Björn Gunnlaugsson
Björn Gunnlaugsson was an Icelandic mathematician and cartographer. For the Icelandic Literary Society, he surveyed the country from 1831 to 1843. The results of his work were published in a topographic map of Iceland at a scale of 1:480,000 on four sheets...
in the years 1831 to 1843.