Lab 3: Best Bakeries in West LA

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Neogeography: The Potential, Pitfalls, and Consequences of interactive maps.

Neogeography pertains to the ability of people being albe to use and create their own maps, on their own terms through combining elements they feel relevant. With the ability for anybody with a computer online and map out what they believe to be significant, the potential for neogeography is great. Little known locations can become instant sensations and finding directions to an address has never been easier. There are also the humanitarian benefits of neogeography. When disaster stikes, people all over the world instantly know and can send aid whereever it is needed as was witnessed with various natural disasters that occured recently. In addition, protestors are better able to organize and meet up, as was seen in the Arab Spring. Parents most likely also appreciate interactive maps because with teens constantly giving minute by minute updates about what they are up to, parents are able to keeep track of their children. Overall, with neogeography, people have the potential to increase their geographic knowledge as well as that of others.

Though there are many great aspects about being able to create one's own map, there are issues as well with anybody being able to post anything online. Wikipedia has shown the fallacy of this with its system of allowing anyone with access to the internet to post on its website. In addition, many hold the view that if it is online, then it must be true. This is not always the case and has led people to question what is actually true. Furthermore, a pitfall of neogeography is the ability to make information public that may not be for the common good. It puts individuals at risk of being found who may be in hiding. In addition, lack of privacy becomes an issue and people can easily be stalked.

The consequences of interactive maps are both positive and negative. On one hand, people have the ability to express themselves through their surroundings and create the world they envision. On the other hand, people can easily post false information, demonstrating their own bias and insulting others in the process. However, neogeography is user-friendly and helpful to GIS; more people are aware of their surroundings and are taking a bigger part in the world at large through interactive maps.

USGS Topographic Maps

1. What is the name of the quadrangle?

       Beverly Hills Quadrangle

2. What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles?

       Canoga Park, Vans Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, and Inglewood

3. When was the quadrangle first created?

       1966

4. What datum was used to create your map?

       North American Datum 27

5. What is the scale of the map?

       1:24,000

6. answer the following:

    a. 5 centimeters on the map is equal to how many meters on the ground?

        1200 meters

    b. 5 inches on the map is equal to how many miles on the ground?

        1.89 miles

    c. one mile on the ground is equal to how many inches on the map?

        2.64 inches

    d. 3 km on the ground is equal to how many cm on the map?

        12.5 cm

7. What is the contour interval on your map?

         20 feet

8. What are the approximate geographic coordinates of:

     a. Public Affairs Building

         Longitude: 118° 26’18’’ (118.438°) Latitude:  34° 4’30’’ (34.075°)

     b. the tip of the Santa Monica pier:

         Longitude: 118°30’ (118.5°) Latitude: 34°30’’ (34.008°)

     c. The Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir:

         Longitude: 118°24’ (118.4°) Latitude: 34°7’24’’ (34.123°)

9. What is the approximate elevation of:

     a. Greystone Mansion: 580 feet, 177 meters

     b. Woodlawn Cemetery: 145 feet, 44.196 meters

     c. Crestwood Hills Park: 680 feet, 207.26 meters

10. What is the UTM zone of the map?

           zone 11

11. What are the UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of your map?

           361500mE and 3763000mN

12. How many square meters are contained within each cell of the UTM gridlines?

           (1000 meters)(1000 meters)=1,000,000 meters

13. Obtain elevation measurements along UTM northing 3771000

14. What is the magnetic declination of the map?

           11.78° east

15. In which direction does water flow in the intermittent stream between 405 and Stone Canyon?

          North to South

16.  UCLA

          

Sana Ahmed

World Map of the 1600s. 2003. Map. sonofthesouth.netWeb. 2 Oct 2012. <http://www.sonofthesouth.net/revolutionary-war/maps/world-map-1600s.htm>.

This map is copied from the website Son of the South, a company that sells fine art prints. It is labelled as "World Map from the 1600s" and features mythical creatures surrounding the bottom of the spheres. Sailors and angels adorn the top of the map with a Latin phrase inscribed on top, presumably the title. I enjoy history and the Age of Exploration is really fascinating to me; this map is probably one of the first to depict the New World. Compared to today's maps, some islands are missing and calculations seem to be a bit off, which makes it more interesting as it demonstrates the amount of progress we have made in discovering our world. Also notable is that the large bodies of water don't seem to be labeled.The fact that sailors are part of the drawings leads to the assumption that the mapmaker most likely is aware the world isn't complete and there is more to be found out.

"787 Map Products." Products Map. Houzz, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://www.houzz.com/photos/products/map/ls=4>.

This map is copied from the website Houzz which features several different map products. This particular version of the map was created by Bianca Green and is titled "Louis Armstrong Told Us So". Individual countries are differentiated by the use of different fabric prints that are cut to the shape of each country. There are a variety of fabric prints used, bringing in color. I like this map because it calms me and though there are numerous countries, it is hard to find the exact borders, representing an increase in globalization and how interconnected the world has become.

 

 

 

 



 "Worldmapper World Population Atlas: The Countries of the World as You've Never Seen Them before." Worldmapper World Population Atlas: The Countries of the World as You've Never Seen Them before. World Mapper, n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. http://www.worldpopulationatlas.org/.

This map was gotten off the website WorldMapper. The name is simply "The United States of America" and presents a map of the U.S based on major cities. The map is extremely distorted as it exaggerates the huge cities in the country. The purple color and black sketch marks make it look like a butterfly, which is what initially drew me to the image. It's interesting to note that when people come to the U.S as tourists, these are majority of the places they are drawn to or have heard about.