Week 3 Lab: Neogeography!

View Best Tattoo Shops Across the United States in a larger map

   Neogeography is a great way for members of the general public (with low skill level in regards to map reading, making, etc.) to learn the basic concepts of maps, navigation, and geography. It allows for direct and interactive involvement in vacation planning, visiting a friend, and general tourism, with visual and continually updating information (a..k.a. instant gratification) that today's society finds so pertinent. In a way, neogeography (along with social networking) is helping push the people of our planet towards a paperless, and completely virtual society.
   Unfortunately, their are quite a few downsides to neogeography. First of all, it is slowly creating a society unable to actually understand the methods behind map reading and making. Not many people in the new generation can understand what exactly it means to "get directions" on Google Maps, much less read an actual paper map. Secondly, unverified, public made maps are surfacing and being used by others and accepted unquestioningly as truthful. Everyone has access to to the internet and many incompetent people are littering these sites with erroneous information. Lastly, these maps are produced for free by the public, and then used by big corporations without compensation to the original maker of the map. Without knowing, millions of people are lending themselves out as free labor sources, only increasing the power of big corporations such as Google.

Week 2 Lab: USGS Topographic Maps!

1. Name: Beverly Hills Quadrangle California-Los Angeles Co. 7.5-Minute Series (Topographic)
2. Adjacent Quadrangle Names (starting NW and going clockwise): Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Hollywood, Inglewood, Venice, and Topanga.
3. This quadrangle was first created in 1995.
4. The North American Datum of 1927, the North American Datum of 1983, and the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 were used to create this map.
5. Scale: 1 : 24,000
6.
      a. 5 centimeters on the map = 1,200 meters on the ground
      b. 5 inches on the map = 1.89 miles on the ground
      c. 1 mile on the ground =  2.65 inches on the map
      d. 3 kilometers on the ground = 12.5 centimeters on the map
7. Contour Interval: 20 feet
8.
      a. Public Affairs: Latitude: 34*04'25" (34.074*) ; Longitude: 118*26'16" (118.438)
      b. Santa Monica Pier: Latitude: 34*00'35" (34.009*) ; Longitude: 118*30'00" (118.500)
      c. Franklin Canyon Reservoir: Latitude: 34*06'13" (34.104*) ; Longitude: 118*24'43" (118.412)
9.
      a. Greystone Mansion: approx. 520 ft. (158 meters)
      b. Woodlawn Cemetery: approx. 140 ft. (43 meters)
      c. Crestwood Hills Park: approx. 780 ft. (238 meters)

10. This map's UTM zone is 11S.
11. UTM Coordinates (for lower left corner):  361000 E. and 3763000 N.
12. Each cell of the UTM gridlines contain an area of 1,000,000 meters squared.
13. The approximate elevation levels for the coordinates on campus are 520 ft. at the 3771000 N and 366000 E intersection and 440 ft. at the 3771000 N and 367000 E intersection.

14. The map's magnetic declination is 14 degrees (249 miles).

15. In the intermittent stream between the 405 freeway and Stone Canyon Reservoir, the water flows in a Northern direction (starting off towards true north and slightly veering towards the magnetic north at the end).16.

Week 1 Lab: MAPS!

 http://pleated-jeans.com/2011/01/24/the-united-states-of-shame-chart/

   This map by Pleated Jeans shows the United States at its finest. From California's smog problem to Maine's low SAT scores, it uses statistics about each state to map out which unfavorable behaviors are highest in each area. I find myself drawn to this map because it provides some sort of comic relief to the serious issues in our country. It is also rather humorous because it reiterates some common held stereotypes about each state and provides proof (on the website) to back it up.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t236496-150.html

   This map shows the likely variation among skin tones in the indigenous people of almost every part of the world. It clearly depicts very rigid lines of skin color, emphasizing the role of the earth's orbit and rotation on skin tone. I have been taking a GE cluster on Interracial Dynamics, so the ideas of race and skin color are really interesting to me, and it is neat to see early race visually depicted through this map.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
http://sdfarmwife.blogspot.com/2011/07/humane-society-of-united-states-part-5.html

   Above is a map depicting how the Humane Society's annual budget is rationed out amongst the states. It provides color coding, percentages, and monetary estimates based on the percentages to create a clear, informative visual. I have always had a soft spot for animals, and its unfortunate that these percentages really do reflect the poor conditions of many of the shelters in our country. It's especially shocking to me that a substantial amount of states are receiving little to no funding from the HSUS.