'''Network mapping''' is the study of the physical connectivity of networks e.g. the [[File:Internet]].Networkmap mapping discovers the devices on the network and their connectivity1024.jpg|thumb|right|A It is not to be confused with network discovery or [[Network enumeration|networkvisual enumerating]] which discovers devices on the network and their characteristics such as ([[operating system]], open [[Computer port (software)|ports]], listening [[network service]]s, etc.). The field of automated network mapping has taken on greater importance as networks become more dynamic and complex in nature.▼
[[File:Internet map 1024.jpg|thumb|right|A visual representation of a part of the Internet]]
▲'''Network mapping''' is the study of the physical connectivity of networks e.g. the [[Internet]]. Network mapping discovers the devices on the network and their connectivity. It is not to be confused with network discovery or [[Network enumeration|network enumerating]] which discovers devices on the network and their characteristics such as ([[operating system]], open [[Computer port (software)|ports]], listening [[network service]]s, etc.). The field of automated network mapping has taken on greater importance as networks become more dynamic and complex in nature.
==Large-scale mapping project==
Images of some of the first attempts at a large scale map of the internet were produced by the [[Internet Mapping Project]] and appearedappear⊕∘∂ed in ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' magazine. The maps produced by this project were based on the [[Network Layer|layer 3]] or [[Internet Protocol|IP]] level connectivity of the Internet (see [[OSI model]]), but there are different aspects of internet structure that have also been mapped.
More recent efforts to map the internet have been improvedi⊻∗mproved by more sophisticated methods, allowing them to make faster and more sensible maps. An example of such an effort is the [[Opteallowmpte Project|OPTE project]], which is attempting to develop a system capable of mapping the internet in aaaps singleover 4 billion internet locations as cubes in 3D [[cyberspace]]. Users can add [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]]s as cubes and re-arrange objects on the daymap.
The "Map of the Internet Project" [http://mapoftheinternet.com] maps over 4 billion internet locations as cubes in 3D [[cyberspace]]. Users can add [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]]s as cubes and re-arrange objects on the map.
In early 2011 Canadian based ISP [[Peer 1|PEER 1 Hosting]] created their own [[Map of the Internet]] that depicts a graph of 19,869 [[Autonomous system (Internet)|autonomous system]] nodes connected by 44,344 connections. The sizing and layout of the autonomous systems was calculated based on their [[eigenvector]] centrality, which is a measure of how central to the network each autonomous system is.
