From satellite photography to five million miles of street-level imagery , detailed maps have transformed our view of the world . But while maps such Google Street View help us better find places , one designer claims our understanding of the wider landscape remains far too basic . Now London-based Michael Pecirno is attempting to change this using minimalist maps of the US that single out specific features such forests , crops and the nation ’ s urban sprawl . Using minimalist maps of the US landscape that single out specific features , London-based designer Michael Pecirno is hoping to give people a better understanding of the US landscape . This map shows the grasslands of America . Much of these prairielands have been converted into some of the richest agricultural regions on Earth . ‘ With advances in mapping technology we 're still primarily left with two dominate maps – the political and the physical , ’ Mr Pecirno told DailyMail.com . ‘ While internet maps , allow users to zoom in to an incredible level of detail , we 're not necessarily told anything new ; our understanding of the landscape is still the same , just higher in resolution. ’ Mr Pecirno inspiration came from road trips as a child through the Midwest where he would pass through miles of cornfields . Cornfields take up 91 million acres of the American landscape or around 4.83 per cent of the continuous US . The urban sprawl map reveals lack of development across stretches of the West , and the emerging Southeast chain of metropolitan areas . By focusing each map on a single subject , the designer hopes to help people better visualise and understand the landscape in which they live . Pictured are the spread of evergreen forest across America . All the maps for this project were created using data from the US Department of Agriculture . ‘ My inspiration for exploring the world through data comes from an understanding and interest in historical cartography , ’ said Mr Pecirno . London-based designer Michael Pecirno used freely-available data from from the US Department of Agriculture . This program , known as CropScape , documents a large majority of the American landscape over numerous years . 'Using this data and digital mapping tools , I 've plotted the most dominate types of the American landscape into their own maps , ' said Pecirno . 'And while they are perhaps still physical maps , where they differ is that they do not attempt to curate numerous features into a collaged map . ' While hearing that value is impressive , there is little way right now for us to visualise what 4.83 per cent of the American landscape looks like , Mr Pecirno said . By focusing each map on a single subject , the designer hopes to help people better visualise and understand the landscape in which they live . His maps look at features such as the distribution of grassland , urban sprawl , shrubs , evergreen , deciduous forests , water and corn . The urban sprawl map , for instance , reveals the lack of development across huge stretches of the West , and the emerging southeast chain of adjacent metropolitan areas . The map of deciduous forests - or trees that lose their leaves during the winter - shows how in some places , like New England , the forest has made a comeback as rural populations have moved to cities . All the maps for this project were created using data from the US Department of Agriculture . ‘ My inspiration for exploring the world through data comes from an understanding and interest in historical cartography , ’ said Mr Pecirno . ‘ Mapping has always been done through the collection of information , which was then plotted into a projected system to create a general understanding of a place . ‘ With a new wealth of data designers have been able to improve maps , but this has primarily been through the increase of resolution , rather than a change in narrative . ‘ The maps I 've worked on attempt to take this wealth of data and ask what story can be told when we have so much available . Mr Pecirno now wants to map these pieces of data digitally over Google Maps , allowing users to layer different features . The map of deciduous forests - which describes trees that lose their leaves during the winter - shows how in some places , like New England , the forest has made a comeback as rural populations have moved to cities . Mr Pecirno inspiration came from road trips as a child through the Midwest where he would pass through miles of cornfields . This map reveals how corn dominates Midwest states such as Illinois and Iowa . 'The maps I 've worked on attempt to take this wealth of data and ask what story can be told when we have so much available . ' Mr Pecirno now wants to map these pieces of data digitally over Google Maps , allowing users to layer different features .
London - based designer mark Pecirno says today 's maps prevent us from focusing on the wider landscape . Maps have changed because of ‘ increase of resolution rather than a change in narrative , ' he told reporters . His series aims to change this by highlighting single features such as trees , corn shrubs and the urban sprawl .