Jan Martin Larsen

Who is Jan Martin Larsen?

Jan Martin Larsen is a Norwegian cartographer, orienteer and politician.

He graduated from the Norwegian College of Agriculture in 1963, and in his early career he worked in Fjellanger-Widerøe and the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment. From 1986 to 1989 he was the director of mapping in the Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority. He was also president of the Norwegian Association for Cartography, Geodesy, Hydrography and Photogrammetry from 1969 to 1975.

He owed his interest for cartography to his background in the orienteering sport. He was a board member of the Norges Orienteringsforbund from 1961 to 1975, and chaired the organization for four years. He was a pioneer in the development of the specialized orienteering map, including international cooperation. He chaired NOF's first mapping committee, which was established in 1961. This committee published a normative book, which was used as a basis for mapping courses. He was employed by NOF as a specialized consultant on mapping in 1963.