Lab 3: Neogeography

                     
View MLB Teams in a larger map
     The advantages that neogeography has to offer are tremendous. This new phenomenon allows the public to have greater access to a variety of different things. They are able to discover where things are located and able to create maps for their personalize use. I personally found it interesting to make a map of all MLB teams and see where most of the stadiums are distributed. I included different color bookmarks relevant to the color of the baseball teams. I even included a video of SF Giants Buster Posey's grand slam in Cincinnati. I also added a picture of the newly remodeled Miami Marlins Stadium. The logos I put as bookmarks show which teams two teams are left to play in the World Series. I wanted to make a map that was very recent, and one could easily identify the different baseball stadiums. 
      Although neogeography is very helpful, one disadvantage of it is that information can be less accurate than if it were done by a professional/ GIS analyst. Since people are free to put any information that they please on a map, they may not be the most reliable means of data collection. It is not always the best idea to have this be so accessible. Google maps and other sites can also interfere with people's privacy. For instance, if people made a map of people's homes, such as celebrities or elected officials, it would be harmful to their safety. 

Lab 2: USGS Topographic maps

  1. The name of the quadrangle is the Beverly Hills Quadrangle

  2. The names of the adjacent quadrangles are

                  (1) Canoga Park

(2) Van Nuys

            (3) Burbank

(4) Topanga

(5) Hollywood

(7) Venice

(8) Inglewood

  3. The quadrangle was first created in 1995. (Course website topographic map)

  4. The datum used was the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929

  5. The scale of the map is 1:24,000 (inches)

  6. A. 5 centimeters on the map approximately equals 1200 meters

B. 5 inches equals approximately 1.89 miles on the ground.

C. One mile on the ground equals about 2.64 inches.

D. Three kilometers on the ground equals about 12.5 inches

  7. The contour interval on my map is 20 feet

  8.  The approximate geographic coordinates in both degrees/minutes/seconds and decimal degrees

            A. Public Affairs Building (34° 4’ 31” North; 118° 26’ 11” West; N 34.07527, 118.4363 W)

            B. Tip of Santa Monica Pier (34° 0’ 32” North; 118° 0’ 30” West; N 34.008, 118.0083 W)

            C. Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir (34° 7’ 15” North; 118° 24’ 30”; 34.12083 N, 118.408

  9. The elevations of these places in feet and meters

            A. Greystone Mansion – 580 feet, 176.784 meters

            B. Woodlawn Cemetery – 131 feet, 39.928 meters

            C. Crestwood Hills Park – 698 feet, 212.7504 meters

  10. The UTM zone is 11

  11. The UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of this map are 3763000 mN and 3615000 mE

  12. Each square cell of the UTM guidelines is 1,000,000 meters

  13. 

  

  14. The magnetic declination is 14 degrees east

  15. The direction of the water flow in the intermittent stream between the 405 and Stone Canyon Reservoir is North to South

  16. UCLA

Lab 1: Maps

Map 1: World Ethnographic Map (1852)

This 19th century map shows divisions of the world by ethnographic groups. The races listed on here include Indo-European, Mixed Indo-European, American, Syro Arabian, Mongolian, Negro, Papuan-Negro, Mongolian, Malay, and Australian. It is also shows an enlarged map of Europe, separating the continent by subgroups of the Indo-European ethnographic group. This map has lines north and south throughout that are called 'limits of permanent habitation', which isolate the uninhabited Antarctic and Arctic regions. I found  the divisions of ethnographic groups in South America interesting because of the distinction between Americans and other ethnographic groups located on the coasts. This map shows that Central America was primarily inhabited by Americans however there are separate distinct, non-American groups on the coast of Colombia, Peru and Brazil. I like this map because it is an older map and it shows how classifications of race in this time period were a lot more specific and formal than they are today.

Source: 

Blackwood, William . Natural History World Ethnographic Map. 1852. Photograph. Hipkiss, Edinburgh & London. Web. 2 Oct 2012. <http://www.hipkiss.org/data/maps/blackwood-and-sons_keith-johnsons-physical-school-atlas_1852_natural-history-world-ethnographic-map_3029_2348_600.jpg>. 

Map 2: Physical Map of Argentina (2009)

This map of Argentina shows its borders, physical attributes and oceans. It shows that Argentina borders Chile,Paraguay,Uruguay, Brazil, the Southwest Atlantic Ocean, and even shows the relative depth of the water by color. The map also shows major cities such as Cordoba, Buenos Aires, and Mendoza. The main attribute of this map is that it separates Argentina's regions, showing that it has diverse landscapes. In the West, Argentina shares the Andes mountains with Chile, to the South is Patagonia, a very cold mountainous terrain near the Antarctic region, and the northwestern part of the country is pampa landscape. I find this interesting because typically people think Argentina is mostly flat, pampa landscape but it also has mountainous regions that are a major part of the country. I find it interesting to think about Argentina as a place with diverse land, which further indicates diversity with their people and ways of living.

Source:

Argentina Map-Physical Map of Argentina. 2009. Photograph. Ezilon MapsWeb. 2 Oct 2012. <http://www.ezilon.com/maps/south-america/argentina-physical-maps.html>. 

Map 3: Senate District Map of Southern California

 My third map is the senate district map of Southern California. It stretches from Ventura to San Diego, and includes two of the Channel Islands (Santa Catalina and San Clemente.) It shows colored areas for each district. I find this map interesting because it shows how district lines are divided and are in very odd shapes. I also like this map because it shows my district in Oxnard. Interestingly, it does not include Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and other areas that are primarily Republican. It is intriguing to me to see how my district is a very thin stretch of the coast which demonstrates how distorted and manipulated district lines have come to be. 

Source: 

Senate Districts Southern California Area Detail. N.d. Photograph. California State LegislatureWeb. 2 Oct 2012. <http://www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts/districts/assemblydistricts_LA1.html>.