Geog 258: Maps and GIS
March 8, 2006
Maps, geodata
and reality
Maps and geodata as reality?
People tend to see maps and geodata as reality. Maps and geodata
are useful ways of representing the
world. The usefulness is built around human limitations – current practices of
human concepts of the environment and our difficulty in grasping the complexity
of the world. Limitations have been overcome throughout human history –
navigations, airplane, satellite, and information technology. But still, mapping
process (or mapping the reality into geodata), being
biased by the tools, reflects the way we view the world.
Reality as maps and geodata?
Maps and GIS should be seen
as tools for extending our ability, rather than something that replaces the
reality. Reality is more vivid than maps and GIS. Reality is more than point
symbol. Wise map users should be imaginative and never lose the sight of truth
in reality, not truth in the map or data in GIS.
What this course attempted to cover:
1) A technology of
representation as it is reconfigured
2) A way to talk about the
environment
3) A way to organize data to
construct new information
Has the digital revolution
heralded the death of the map?
Far from
it.
Has the availability of
software tools changed who makes maps?
Certainly
Has it lowered standards or
just democratized the practice?
Tool early to tell?
Future courses
Geog 360: principles of
cartography – making maps in GIS
Geog 458: Map sources and
errors – getting the right data
Geog 460: GIS analysis –
raster analysis methods
Geog 461: Urban GIS – vector
analysis methods
Geog 463: GIS workshop –
doing a GIS project (answering real-world questions)