Final answer:
Maps by Ptolemy and al-Idrisi, supplemented by Middle Eastern and Chinese navigational technologies, led to more accurate European sea exploration, facilitating the Age of Discovery. These maps became more encompassing and detailed over time, aiding further exploration.
Step-by-step explanation:
Maps drawn by Ptolemy and al-Idrisi revolutionized European sea exploration by providing more accurate representations of the world, based on collective knowledge and observations. These maps informed and guided explorers during the Age of Discovery. The maps were constructed from a mix of direct observation and second-hand knowledge, including insights from Arabic sources and previous explorers like the Portuguese. Unfortunately, maps could also reflect the bias of the cartographers and the political agendas of their times, such as European depictions of their own countries as larger than they are and other regions smaller.
Detailed and more accurate maps, along with navigational technologies from the Middle East, such as lateen sails and the astrolabe, and the magnetic compass from China, enabled Europeans to voyage further into open oceans. This navigation revolution allowed Europeans to explore across the Atlantic and eventually led to the global Age of Discovery. Maps, as evident with the case of the Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula, continuously evolved with ongoing exploration and increasing knowledge of the world.