Lab 3: Neogeography

 This week, I've created an interactive guide to all my favorite vegan restaurants. 


View My Vegan Cuisine in a larger map

This map includes pictures, a video, and routes to each of these fantastic restaurants throughout my region.  Neogeography is really amazing because it is so accessible and easy to use.  There are some downfalls however.  With so much accessibility, anyone can create any map, with no accountability for accuracy or appropriateness.  Maps can be misleading, or even offensive to some, such as a map of strip clubs, or marijuana dispensaries.   Also, since these maps are available for anyone to view, they could fall into the wrong hands.  Any terrorist group can see a map for events, large gatherings, etc. which can be a resource for them.  With my map, for example, I could have listed my home address, and anyone would have had access to that. 

Lab 2: USGS Topographic Maps

LAB 2

1. Beverley Hills Quadrangle

2. Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, Inglewood

3. 1966

4. Horizontal Datum: North American Datum 1927, North American Datum 1983

    Vertical Datum:  National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929

5. 1:24,000

6.

a) 1200 meters

b) 1.89 miles

c) 2.64 inches

d) 12.5 cm

7. 20 feet

8.

a) (N 34°04'27", W 118°26'21") OR (N 34.074°, W 118.439°)

b) (N 34°0'29", W 118°30'0") OR (N 34.008°, W 118.500°)

c) (N 34°7'16", 118°24'36") OR  (N 34.121°, W 118.410°)

9.

a) 580 feet, 177 meters

b) 140 feet, 43 meters

c) 600 feet, 183 meters

10. Zone 11

11. 361500 Easting, 3763000 Northing

12. 1000000m²

13.

14. 14°, 249 miles

15. From North to South

16.

Lab Assignment 1: Interesting Maps

Here are some maps that I found interesting and informative online!

Water Use:  This first map I found is from www.worldmapper.com and it maps use of water for domestic, agriculural, and industrial uses around the world.  Keep in mind that it doesn't include energy generation, mining, or recreational uses.  This is quite informative because while population does relate to water usage, it is not the only factor.  Developed nations use far more water for consumption purposes, while developing areas use far less.  The information on this website indicates that United States Citizens consume around three times more water per capita than their counterparts in China.  This is absurd as China has almost 20% of the world's population, while the United States only houses about 4.5%.  Something to keep in mind next time you hop in the shower...

Upside Down World Map:  This is a map I have seen many times as a Geography major, and I was surprised to learn that most people think it is a map of another planet or some other nonsense.  I found it on "cultivated pages".  Americans are so egocentric, we can't manage to think of ourselves as anything but the center of the universe.  Seeing this map completely flips around your world view, and I think everyone should be familiar with it.  The "right-side up" map pushes Africa and South America down to the bottom of the page, and makes them look small in comparison to their northern neighbors, when in reality, they are really quite large!

Religious Adherents:  Another interesting map; this displays people who adhere to any religion across the United States.  I found this on the American Ethnic Geography Website.  I compared it with a map of the levels of education in the country, and interestingly enough, there is an interesting correlation between levels of education and adherence to religion, especially in the Midwest (click here for education map).  I wonder if this is a solely a correlation, or actually a causation.   

See you all next week!

-J