▁manually ▁constructed ▁with ▁br ush es ▁and ▁par ch ment ▁and ▁therefore ▁varied ▁in ▁quality ▁and ▁were ▁limited ▁in ▁distribution . ▁The ▁advent ▁of ▁the ▁comp ass , ▁printing ▁press , ▁teles cope , ▁se xt ant , ▁quadr ant ▁and ▁vern ier ▁allowed ▁for ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁far ▁more ▁accurate ▁maps ▁and ▁the ▁ability ▁to ▁make ▁accurate ▁reprodu ctions . ▁Professor ▁Steven ▁We ber ▁of ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁California , ▁Ber keley , ▁has ▁advanced ▁the ▁hypothesis ▁that ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁the ▁" n ation ▁state " ▁is ▁an ▁in ad vert ent ▁by product ▁of ▁ 1 5 th - century ▁adv ances ▁in ▁map - making ▁techn ologies . ▁ ▁Adv ances ▁in ▁phot och em ical ▁technology , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁l ith ographic ▁and ▁phot och em ical ▁processes , ▁have ▁allowed ▁for ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁maps ▁that ▁have ▁fine ▁details , ▁do ▁not ▁dist ort ▁in ▁shape ▁and ▁resist ▁mo ist ure ▁and ▁wear . ▁This ▁also ▁elimin ated ▁the ▁need ▁for ▁eng ra ving ▁which ▁further ▁short ened ▁the ▁time ▁it ▁takes ▁to ▁make ▁and ▁reproduce ▁maps . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁mid - to - late ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁adv ances ▁in ▁electronic ▁technology ▁have ▁led ▁to ▁further ▁revolution ▁in ▁cart ography . ▁Specifically ▁computer ▁hardware ▁devices ▁such ▁as ▁computer ▁screens , ▁plot ters , ▁printer s , ▁sc ann ers ▁( remote ▁and ▁document ) ▁and ▁analyt ic ▁s tere o ▁plot ters ▁along ▁with ▁visual ization , ▁image ▁processing , ▁spatial