Virtual Worlds

Virtual world technology is opening up a whole new reality for many users. I enjoy a lot of outdoor recreational activities. My father and I spend a lot of time in the deep backcountry in northern Arizonian, southern Utah and all through out Nevada. Prior to purchasing national Geographic Topo we often just went out with nothing more than we had heard there were some cool trails out in some part of the country. However now we are equipped quite well when we head out. We pass GPS coordinates between friends and maps we have created from our GPS trip log.

Prior to a trip we lookup the area that we are headed to, we look at the trails, specific features on the maps and then create a map with the specific trails we want to hit highlighted. If one of our friends has been there we upload the coordinates or their trail and head out. We recently purchased the 3D version and now can create elevation profiles and check the difficulty of the trails we are about to hit. Because of this new technology we are now investigating our own world better because we have a virtual reality to explore first.

There are many new types of virtual reality software out there. Probably the best known is Google Earth. It is giving many new people the change to not only explore new parts of the world better but what I think is the coolest part is that most people are looking at their own home first. It is empowering people to investigate what is around them everyday. It is teaching people geography discreetly. It is making people ask questions that they would have never thought of prior to the advent of “The Google.”

Google Earth

This is Tuweep Point or Toroweap Point. It is the lowest viewpoint in the Grand Canyon but the view off the 3000' sheer unfenced cliffs are unbelievable!!It is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from St George Utah on a wash board road that seldom sees a blade. You have to be pretty dedicated to make this trip andif it looks like rain don't even try it. When the signs say impassable when wet they mean it. However despite the long rough road the view is worth it!! Meand my ol man make the trip about twice a year and it never gets old.

Very Spatial Games

Oregon Trail was one of those early commuter games that most early commuter users have fond memories of. I remember when we got our first computer the Apple 2E which used the old 5 ¼ floppy disks and my favorite one was Oregon Trail. You got to chose when you leave, your profession, name your kids, buy your supplies, hunt for food, chose your route and even the pace of the wagon. This game was awesome! However there was also a flip side to it. Kids also learned about US history and my favorite North American geography. This was most definitely a spatial game.

The game started out in Independence Missouri in the year 1848. From that point on you are encountered with many decision making situations which will directly affect the rest of the game. The geography components were immense. You encountered Indian or “Indian country”, you crossed many of the major rivers along the way, you made stops along the way a Chimney Rock, many of the forts and you could even, if you made it that far, float down the Columbia river. This game represents an early adaptation of educational games teaching both history and geography to children and many adults.

Old Map New Map

Cartography has been around for ages. Some of the earliest maps have been found on mud tablets, rock walls, cloth and early types of paper such as papyrus. Mapping technology has also been evolving over time, not only the type of material that is has been created on but also how the maps have been produced. The tools of the trade have evolved. The days of fabricating maps using compasses, sextants and the guiding North Star are over. These tools have been replaced with Geographic Information Systems, plotters, and computer software packages. The tools of the trade are always evolving.

I did a little experiment in my office and I asked four people what came to mind when I said map. I asked two younger people and two older people. The two older people’s answers dealt with paper or hard copy maps. One said a USGS 24K topographic map and the other said a Rand McNally map. When I asked the two younger people what they thought of when I said map, both referenced digital maps. One said Map Quest and the other said Google Earth.

I think that my little experiment highlights how the latest technological advancements have changed the face of cartography. Old maps represent paper maps and new maps are represented by the new digital age. I don’t believe that paper maps will ever be obsolete however I do believe that digital guidance systems and other digital media will dominate the cartography market.

As along as there are map geeks like myself there will always be room for some good ‘ol paper maps to be laid out over the hood and studied before, during and after every trip to the mountains. The days of hand drawn maps are over. Digital media is taking over. Cartographic production shops now consist of plotters and visual editing software. In spite of this change, old map or new at least there are still maps.

These maps below represent what I think are old and new types of maps. Old maps were more often reference maps depicting places and their geography or how to get from one point to another. New maps can also represent these same types of reference themes but also new and more complex analysis and how to represent them graphically. This map represents data that has been used to study routing problems and changes of internet topological data. Another benefit of the “new map” is what types of analysis we are now capable of presenting. The following link is to the Internet Mapping Project.

http://www.cheswick.com/ches/map/index.html

Mapping the News

How many times have we been looking through the newspaper and instead of reading the story you just look at the graphic or map? I know that I do every time. Not just because I am a map geek but because if you can get the same information from looking at a map versus reading a page long story most likely filled with hard to decipher statistics, why not?

Maps are a great communicator of information. They are used to tell stories or convey information easily to a particular audience. The news industry uses this powerful tool to convey information to their captive audience to tell their stories and make their point.

There are almost an infinite many types of maps that can be created to depict any story. We are use to weather maps, crime spree maps, traffic maps, and many more in our everyday examination of the news.

Just today I checked the news on Google News and Yahoo News and found many maps right off the main pages. As talked about in a previous blog, interactive maps are being used more and more as a useful tool to convey information to a large audience.

Its has been said over and over that pictures are worth a thousand words but I think that maps are worth even more. It is my goal that one day we can do away with newscasters and hire only cartographers and have the news be depicted all through maps. No more funny haircuts, fake laughs or weather men pushing storms around with their funny arm movements, just maps.

interactive maps

With the growing use of the internet there is a growing audience for interactive web-based maps (who would have thought). There are many great uses for interactive maps. They are not only fun to look at such things are your home town or planning a trip but there are also many potential uses for businesses or academics as well. It can be a great place to show such things are what data you have to sell or offer. You can show where you stores are located and how to get to them. You can show where your cell coverage is or planning to be. The uses are almost infinite.

However I prefer the fun aspect of interactive mapping. Most of us are familiar with Google earth however I found another site that is also fun to play with and has more thematic based maps that depict many cool data layers not offered by other interactive maps.

The MapMachince created by National Geographic is one cool example of interactive web-based mapping.http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/ My favorite is the "more theme maps" tab where you can pick different thematic layers to view for the selected map extent.

Maps and the American Identity

Maps have always been an important element in the American identity. From the days of the exploring age to the latest political race, maps have played an enduring role in the development of what the American identity has become and is evolving onto.

When many immigrant families arrived in the “new world” they had nothing more than a map and the storied that they had heard from friends, relatives or the stranger passing through. Maps were an important component in the early development of the American landscape and identity.

Even today maps still play a crucial role in many aspects of forming not only what people think of us but also what we think of ourselves. With the development of better technology we are now capable of mapping more diverse and complicated problems or questions about ourselves. Like I mentioned we can map political races and how certain regions of the US align politically. However with such data as the census we can also understand even more complicated questions or problems such as poverty, housing, transpiration and many other topics relating to our population or identity. Maps have and always will have a defining place in our American identity.

FACT/FICTION

Maps are a generalization of space. Obviously we can’t include all aspects of what we are trying to depict because the map would become overloaded with information. Maps are a great tool to express and point of view or idea about about a particular issue with scaled down representations to give focus.

This generalization and simplification of the real world is where some contention can arise. Maps can be a great tool to communicate our ideas. However are our ideas always correct or fact? Also perception and human understanding play into how maps are understood. In the early age of discovery many believed the world to be flat. So were the maps created depicting the world to be flat fiction? They were, as far as human understanding for that time period, fact. Hoever this is my opinion and many disagree.

The rise in technology and easy availability of software to create maps has also enhanced our ability to create deceiving maps. Employing such tools as color, hue and pattern for example can greatly change the message of the map. Most assume that the darkest color means the most dense representation such as population density. However there are no laws requiring cartographers to employ such techniques. In my opinion this isn’t fiction it is just deception. Is it good judgment or bad cartographic conduct?
There are many ways to utilize deception and sway public opinion when making maps. Despite this, in my opinion, its not fiction or fabrication it is just a distorted perception of reality. Cartographers still have creditability however with the advancement of technology and animated mapping software the public must become more aware of cartographic practices and how they are applied to sway opinion of the audience

Good Map / Bad Map

Cartography can be a useful or damaging tool when trying to convey ideas or messages. It doesn’t matter if you are looking at a road map on the back of a napkin or a map published in the latest Ran McNally. Maps can either be helpful or hurtful. Whether making or looking at a map there are many important components that go into making a legible and easily understandable map. Color is the element that I will focus on in this entry.

Color can be used to not only enhance the visual attractiveness of the map but also the message or content of the map as well. There are many components within the subject matter of color usage. Hue is the difference between colors i.e. red, blue, or green. Value is the difference between lightness and darkness within a specific hue or color. Hue can be used to differentiate between different elements on a map such as a black road or a blue river. Value can be used to show population distribution from higher density populations shown as dark and lower density populations being shown by lighter colors. Contrast or figure ground is also another important tool used within the theme of color usage. Employing the use of figure ground you can create a pop out effect which draws the reader’s attention to a specific area of detail within your map.

When making use of any of these tools it is important to know that there are also limitations. Too many colors can make a map hard to read and too slight of change in shades of the same color can be hard to differentiate. In the map below the red makes nice usage of figure ground. It is easy to tell that the red roads are the major roads on this map or at least the one they want you to notice. However the yellow lines or roads on this map are hard to see against the dull greenish yellow backdrop. to me the biggest fault in this map is the use of the color blue. The blue is used to indicate rivers and river names but also (I think) city block names or areas of the town. It is also used to create a grid to section off the map. Using the same color for multiple tasks can be confusing to the reader and cause confusion among the map viewers. When using color it is good to know the preconceived notions of what your audience thinks certain things should be colored. For instance the blue in the U.S. is often used only to signify rivers or hydrologic features. In this map they do that but also use the same color for multiple features which should be avoided when possible.Color can be a useful tool when creating maps. However in the case of this map I think that it creates more confusion and makes the map hard to read.