Lab 3: Neogeography

View A Summer Day on Martha's Vineyard in a larger map

     I think neogeography can be a great thing because it allows normal people to share knowledge of places and things that only they might have with the rest of the world through the creation of maps. 
I think there is huge potential for neogeography to benefit people because it can instantly turn a tourist into a local or make the newly re-located feel right at home.  I personally have used neogeography many times to my advantage when visiting places I have never been so that I can get to the local favorites and skip the tourist traps.  I think you can get a much better feel for a new place when you follow what the people who live there see and do everyday instead of just going to the standard crowded tourist attractions.
     There are, however, definitely some pitfalls and negative consequences of neogeography as well.  Since literally anyone can make a map now and make it public on the internet, the quality is obviously not going to be consistent.  Bad maps or maps made by people with very little knowledge of the places and attractions they include may lead people in the wrong direction.  The ease of making a map will make the sheer quantity of maps available so large that it will become increasingly difficult to find the good ones.  Also, for locals who prefer to keep their favorite spots secret, one person can make a map and instantly reveal all the places it took them years to find.  In this way, I think that neogeography definitely takes away some of the pride involved with getting to know a place intimately by living there and discovering things on your own or through real life interactions.  Neogeography so easily available on the internet makes visiting places less personal; instead of asking someone how to get somewhere or for a tip on where to eat, we now go straight for our computers or cell phones and search the internet.

Lab 2: 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, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, and Inglewood
3. When was the quadrangle first created? 1966
4. What datums were used to create your map? The North American Datums of 1927 and 1983 and the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929
5. What is the scale of the map? 1:24,000
6. At the above scale, answer the following:
     a) 5 centimeters on the map is equivalent to how many meters on the ground? 1200m
     b) 5 inches on the map is equivalent to how many miles on the ground? 1.894mi
     c) one mile on the ground is equivalent to how many inches on the map? 2.64in
     d) three kilometers on the ground is equivalent to how many centimeters on the map? 12.5cm
7. What is the contour interval on your map? 20 Feet
8. What are the approximate geographic coordinates in both degrees/minutes/seconds and decimal degrees of:
     a) the Public Affairs Building; 34*04'30"N = N34.075, 118*26'33"W = W118.443
     b) the tip of Santa Monica pier; 34*00'30"N = N34.008, 118*30'00"W = W118.500
     c) the Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir; 34*06'15"N = N34.104, 118*24'41"W = W118.411
9. What is the approximate elevation in both feet and meters of:
     a) Greystone Mansion (in Greystone Park); 580ft, 176.8m
     b) Woodlawn Cemetery; 140ft, 42.7m
     c) Crestwood Hills Park; 800ft, 243.8m
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? 3763000m northing, 362000m easting
12. How many square meters are contained within each cell (square) of the UTM gridlines? 1,000,000 square meters
13. Obtain elevation measurements, from west to east along the UTM northing 3771000, where the eastings of the UTM grid intersect the northing. Create an elevation profile using these measurements in Excel (hint: create a line chart). Figure out how to label the elevation values to the two measurements on campus. Insert your elevation profile as a graphic in your blog. 

14. What is the magnetic declination of the map? Plus 14 Degrees
15. In which direction does water flow in the intermittent stream between the 405 freeway and Stone Canyon Reservoir? The water flows South ("down" the map)
16. Crop out (i.e., cut and paste) UCLA from the map and include it as a graphic on your blog.

Blog Entry #1: Interesting Maps

I copied this map from the official Mt. Baker website (http://www.mtbaker.us/1011/ski-area-info/trail-map/).  This is a trail map of the Mt. Baker ski resort for the 2010-11 ski season.  Mt. Baker is one of my favorite ski mountains in North America, and I think this trail map is interesting because it shows how unique the mountain is.  There are far fewer trails at Mt. Baker than at most well-established ski resorts, and everything inside the outer ski area boundary is open to skiers.  No closed areas or roped off tree zones, just a few signs that say "CLIFFS" and some of the most intense in-bounds skiing anywhere in the world.

I copied this map from the United States Geological Survey website (http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/Maps/map_plate_tectonics_world.html).  This is a map showing Earth's tectonic plate boundaries, as well as indicating active volcanoes and pointing out the "Ring of Fire," an area in the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes take place.  I think this map is interesting because it shows the tectonic plates that make up our planet in a very clear manner, and it shows why plates should not be confused with continents because the boundaries are often quite different.  It is also very clear from looking at the map that almost all volcanic activity occurs along plate boundaries. 

I copied this map from a travel site called "EuropeUpClose" (http://www.europeupclose.com/article/paris-arrondissements-where-to-stay/).  The map shows the twenty arrondissements of Paris and a few famous attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe.  Paris is divided into these arrondissements, which start with "one" in the center before spiraling outwards clockwise until "twenty" and act as administrative boundaries in the city.  I think this map is interesting because it shows how Paris is divided into different sections in this strange spiral fashion.  I do not know of any other cities that are segmented in this way, and I think it is a unique and very useful method of organizing a city.  These arrondissements give Parisians a way to describe their locations in a more general fashion without always having to use specific streets or intersections, and are helpful for tourists trying to break down the city into more manageable sections.