This week, I decided to listen to two different podcasts. When listening to them, I learned a lot of new information, and I gained a new perspective on map-making. The first podcast, "Mapping" from the podcast This American Life, was about mapping using all five of the senses. It involved interviewing five different people who each mapped their world in a unique way. The second podcast, "The New Mapping Revolution" from Magnificent Maps, talks about how modern maps have changed society today. In "Mapping", the host of the podcast, Ira Glass, interviews cartographer Denis Wood about how each map focuses on one specific thing, and if the maps are compiled together, it can create an image and answers to many questions we are asked today. I also found a new way to view maps when I listened to this. I learned that mapping isn't just looking at a place and drawing what it looks like. You can map anything you want in your life. Denis Wood uses the sense of sight to map his neighborhood in countless different ways, creating a story out of maps. Toby Lester uses his sense of hearing to map the sounds that he experiences in his world, and he finds what note each appliance makes while discovering the music of the world around him. Nancy Updike uses smell by creating an electronic nose that can map and recognize different smells in the world. This is used to detect dangerous gases, landmines, and diseases saving the lives of many people. Deb Monroe uses touch to map her body, searching for signs of cancer and other serious diseases. Lastly, Jonathan Gold uses his sense of taste to map the restaurants on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. By doing this, Gold explores the different cultures of the world that exist in Los Angeles through cuisine. After listening to this podcast, I have learned what map-making truly is. It is observing the world around and creating an image. That image can be in your head, on yourself, or on paper; it doesn't matter. These images together create a form of a novel, a story, out of nothing more than images. People create maps to show the world through their own eyes, to tell their own story. Before I thought that maps were solely images of a place, now I have realized that they are so much more. Maps are made to express different details and characteristics of a place. They can be used to solve problems or inform someone of important information. In "The New Mapping Revolution", I learned how maps have impacted society today. Since the creation of new technology, there has been a revolution in cartography. Maps are made through quickly and almost everyone has access to maps. Each individual uses their map for a different purpose. Maps are used to show data that has been collected and to show that data in a different way. Each purpose specific to what they want and need to get done. They create the "center" of their map, which is different for each person. Anyone can create a map. As Africa gets access to new technology, maps are being created in places where there were none before. Everyone is able to see the places in the world from anywhere. Companies like Google are creating maps constantly. Everybody has looked at the Google Earth feature on the internet and zoomed in on their house. People like to look at the world in images instead as in maps. With this, new concerns arise. People are not able to read traditional maps, and they also lose their ability to navigate without using an app on their phone or their GPS. After listening to both of these podcasts, I have gained two new perspectives on cartography and maps. I learned that maps can be made of anything, and they do not all have to be just the same average map. I also learned about the data side of maps, and maps are used to make people's lives easier. Maps are constantly becoming more and more advanced as technology progresses, and we are currently in a map-making revolution.
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, Ever since I learned the map of the United States in fourth grade, I have been fascinated by maps. I don't know why, but I just enjoy learning about them. So, in this blog, I will be exploring the world of cartography and discovering how maps are made. I want to do this because I enjoy both studying maps and drawing, so I think this will be a perfect fit for me. By doing this, I hope to learn about cartography and how I can create a map of my own. I want to go into great detail and know everything I can about maps.
For me, success will look like creating an accurate map that is identifiable. I'm not sure what exactly this map will be of, but I do know that I will work hard to make it the best that I can. In order to do this, I will need to do a sufficient amount of research concerning the topic of cartography. Researching will include listening to podcasts, reading different articles or books, and watching informational videos. I have found multiple podcasts that discuss different components of cartography. To do this, I have found a website called The Map Room that has several podcasts that I will be able to listen to. I will also take a course on map making through Skill Share in order to learn how to make a map of my own. Lastly, I will have the opportunity to get in touch with a real cartographer with whom I can discover more about map making from an actual cartographer. I hope that this will result in me creating a beautiful map along with obtaining new information about something I am interested in. |
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