Map Projections: Exactly how i wanted to spend my weekend.




Equidistant maps preserve the accurate distance from a certain point. The Plate Carree map is an equirectangular projection based around the equator. Lots of distortions are introduced as a result, and it is neither equidistant nor conformal. Thus, it makes for a poor navigational map, but its simple presentation makes it the standard for thematic mapping and computer based applications that process global maps. The sinusoidal map maintains distance along parallels. There is no distortion at the equator or central meridian. The distance between two points is the distance from one point to another between the two parallels. This map is also equal area. Equidistant maps are effective tools for plotting distance between two points, but their distortions makes them hard to read and creates illusions of inaccurate proportions and size.



Equal-area map projections are tools used to show area based relationships. This is important for thematic maps such as population density, amount of forest cover, or desertification. The cost usually is that equal-area maps are rarely equidistant. The Hammer-Aitoff projection was developed by some dude named Hammer and inspired by the Aitoff projection. It maintains equal area while using curved parallels. The Bonne projection is a pseudoconical projection where the latitudes are concentric circular arcs. Although equal-area projections are very practical for certain applications, they are not as essential for day-to-day needs like navigation. Also, they have extreme distortion of distance and appearance, such as with the Bonne projection, which makes them just no fun to look at. I mean, seriously, what's going on there?

Conformal maps preserve angles and logically, are most often used for navigation. The coolest part of these maps is that they are usually flat and rectangular! Hooray. This makes them very easy to read and understand. The greatest drawback? The distortion of area. As seen in the mercator projection, Greenland is as large as Africa. While the Greenlandians may want to perpetuate this idea to have more delegates at the UN, this is simply not true. The Mercator projection (cylindrical projection) has increasing distortion the farther from the equator you go, and the distortion becomes infinite at the poles. (If only Antartica were that large. There would be so many more penguins. And lord knows I have a flightless bird fetish.) However, through use of rhumb lines, navigation is very easy and local area is still preserved. Likewise, the stereographic (I know, this is the "gall" version, but Lindsay said it was ok) projection is conformal, projecting the spherical shape of the Earth onto a plane. It preserves angles at the price of area and distance. It is mainly used for complex mathematical analysis that I do not understand and have no intention of understanding, but it looks like this:
As you can see, it's how mathematicians show us they are better than we are.

Overall, map projections have showed me the amazing diversity of possible projections and their infinite applications. Equal-area projections are much better suited for statistical analysis, while conformal maps are better for navigation. Equidistant maps have a narrower use, but are very straightforward, as their name states. The beauty of this exercise however, is that it illustrates how easy it is the use ArcGIS to go from one projection to another. I even messed around with other projections not under the "world" subcategory. The ones centered on the poles are very interesting and give a completely different look at the Earth. This makes GIS very accessible and enables user generated GIS. Unlike the previous lab, creating different projections was very easy and intuitive. So long as you understand the application of each projection, you can create a plethora of models for use in something like conservation biology, which as my major, is what makes me drool the most.

Two thumbs up!

The Trials and Tribulations of ArcMap.

maps:




The Final GIS produced map:

So that was fun.

ArcMap is a powerful tool that allows users to generate and alter GIS data into visual representations. It can import and export various forms of data and tables and show graphically how they affect people and the landscape. Our lab focused on a proposed airport expansion and how the noise from the expansion would affect the neighboring communities. The goal was to show schools that may be within the suggested noise contour, land use within the contour, and the population densities of the surrounding areas.

The obvious pros of ArcMap lie with the versatility and power of the application. ArcMap can create any statistical or topographic GIS data into a visual map. This allows users to form 2D maps that show more than just geographic features. The information can also be layered easily and different sets of data can be shown on the same basic map, as in our example. The application then allows GIS analysis to be more efficient and comprehensive compared to a topographic map coupled with data tables. What makes these maps possible is that there is a tool or function for anything you want to create. In this tutorial you can calculate population density from a table and illustrate it with a gradient. You can create new roads, landmarks, and geographic features. You can also hide or add layers to a map, enabling you to show different information with a click of the mouse. There are tons of options to customize graphics and features too. You can change almost anything from text, to color, to layout.

The pitfalls of ArcMap all revolve around the interface of the application. The layout is fairly straightforward and simple, but the tools are not particularly intuitive. Some simple things were just annoying like the zoom in/zoom out tool. I kept messing up the format and layout of the maps by clicking zoom rather than selecting the area i wanted to zoom. This made me waste lots of time rearranging things. Also, at one point I lost all my data for Map 3. I don't know how. Don't ask. I swear it wasn't my fault (read: it definitely was my fault, but ArcMap is crazy hard to follow sometimes). Nothing seemed to be easy. Even following the tutorial I had to back track and read the instructions several times before making sure what I was doing was correct.

Ultimately, the power or ArcMap far outweighs any cons of the application. With more experience, I'm sure I would be able to navigate morequickly and efficiently through the various tools and windows. Right now since both the application and the whole concept of GIS are new to me, nothing seems all too easy. Also, the map and the accompanying data are foreign to me. Were this a data set I had collect myself or were more familiar with, I'm sure the manipulation would have gone much smoother. The maps I created took very little time considering my level of expertise, yet they are able to show clearly the effects of the airport expansion. if this were real, it would be easy to show a city council how the noise may affect their schools and community. Simple fliers could also be made and distributed to people within the noise contour in an effort to stop the expansion. This shows both the versatility of GIS and how it can help people and transform where we live.

Cool animals I have seen overt he past few years...

So this is a map of some of the cool animals I've seen that I have pictures of online (my photobucket account). They are mapped geographically according to where they were photographed. They are all wild animals except for the pandas. Yes, you read that right. PANDAS!!! The lines show the approximate distance I have traveled to each destination. The total distance being 20,131.81 miles.

Anyway, enjoy my neogeography...(you might have to zoom out to place the map in frame, I couldn't fix that. Also, It's best to click "view in a larger map" since the photos I used are quite large.)


View James' sweet map in a larger map

Neogeography is a relatively new form of GIS that allows individuals to create open source GIS and spatial data through a common programming interface. Often, this is done through the internet, allowing instant sharing and modification. This ability has allowed GIS to grow exponentially in the past few years, as anyone can create a GIS map. Neogeography is thus, user-centric, as the creator and users are the main focus of the maps, highlighted by the interactive formatting. This interactive format engages casual users and allows maps to be created about almost anything. These maps are highly accessible and create new expectations for dynamic, user-friendly, powerful maps.

unfortunately, this technology has many negative consequences. The largest of which is the quality of these aforementioned maps. user generated maps are not held to any standard and data can easily be inaccurate or completely falsified. The ease of neogeography on sites like googlemaps also creates an excess of maps that may not be that informative or may contain information that people do not care about. This flood of irrelevant data makes people more wary about the validity of other maps (a result of becoming overloaded and jaded with poor content). This map abuse is unregulated due tot he power of the internet. In this way, traditional GIS is useful, as it is professionally made, standardized, and map centric.

In my experience, googlemaps has created a very user-friendly experience that let me publish a map of cool animals I've seen all over the world. It was actually something I didn't know I could do, but was glad that this class forced me to do it. It is something I would love to share with my family and friends. However, the map does not really have any value past showing off to my friends about cool stuff I've done. In this sense I feel many of these user-generated maps are probably made to stroke the egos of the creator. The "look at me!" factor on these maps is probably through the roof. That being said, for every 100 of these worthless maps (mine included) there is a unique and throught provoking map that everyone can enjoy and learn from. In this sense, it is worthwhile to keep this internet infrastructure, as I am willing to put up with all the boring, worthless maps if it means cool maps like Twittervision can exist.

USGS quadrants: an adventure in topography

1. What is the name of the quadrangle?

Beverly Hills Quadrangle

2. What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles?

In a clockwise fashion: Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Hollywood, Inglewood, Venice, and Topanga Quadrangles

3. When was the quadrangle first created?

Topography compiled in 1966

4. What datum was used to create your map?

North American Datum (1927 and 1983)

National Gedetic 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?

5 cm on the map = 1,200 meters on the ground = 1.2 km

b) 5 inches on the map is equivalent to how many miles on the ground?

5 inches = 1.89 miles

c) one mile on the ground is equivalent to how many inches on the map?

1 mile = 2.64 inches

d) three kilometers on the ground is equivalent to how many centimeters on the map?

3 km = 3000 m = 300000cm/24000 = 12.5 cm on the map

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°4’27”, -118°26’21”

b) the tip of Santa Monica pier;

34° 00’ 30”, -118° 30’ 00”

c) the Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir;

34° 6’ 12”, -118° 24’ 49”

9. What is the approximate elevation in both feet and meters of:

a) Greystone Mansion (in Greystone Park);

560-570 m

b) Woodlawn Cemetery;

140 m

c) Crestwood Hills Park;

630-640 m

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?

Approximately 361472.27, 3763170.11

12. How many square meters are contained within each cell (square) of the UTM gridlines?

1,000,000 sq meters (1000m x 1000m)

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?

14° east

15. In which direction does water flow in the intermittent stream between the 405 freeway and Stone Canyon Reservoir?

Water is flowing south.

16. Crop out (i.e., cut and paste) UCLA from the map and include it as a graphic on your blog.

OMG SO EXCITED TO START SCHOOL AGAIN

A map of the universe, but where's heaven?!? a lesson in map making

This first map is a map of the entire universe. Realistically, this is probably a humble attempt at mapping something far greater than the scope of modern human knowledge. This map happens to be from a magazine spread in National Geographic. I chose this map because it encompasses all other maps, so to speak. This is a map of literally everything in the known universe, and it shows how insiginificant we are. We mean nothing to this map. We are but a single nut in the turd of squirrel (assuming squirrel turds are extremely nutty). In contrast, map making becomes very significant through this map, to illustrate that we are tiny and meaningless and to understand where the hell we are in the universe. And as the map shows, we're just a planet in a galaxy of a billion stars, in a universe with hundreds of billions of galaxies. The map conveniently says that just to find the Milky Way galaxy, the maker of this map had to magnify the scale 5 times "just to find our solar system."

That boy is as big as a whale! A lesson in scale (and rhyming)

My second map is from the google machine and is a lesson in spatial mapping and personal sense of direction. By utilizing landmarks such as "Shipwreck Island" and geographical features like "Dead Man Creek" one can navigate a pirate infested and booby trap laden tropical island with relative ease. Simply follow the dotted line and when you reach the gian "X" start digging...unless you get scurvy and die along the way. I chose this map mainly because of its ornate and gaudy compass. A map is nothing without a good compass that illustrates the cardinal directions. I particularly like this map in contrast with the one above because it depicts the advances in map making technology. This map was made on a scroll of parchment and what appears to be crayons, whereas the map of the universe was made with advanced telescopes, computers and 3-D imaging software (an instant geologist turn on). But honestly, down to brass tacks...why is that boy so big? Was there a toxic spill on the island? Is there some strange evolutionary trend of gigantism? Or maybe that's just a cute baby whale. Doesn't matter. Ths whole debacle would've been avoided had the map maker been so prudent as to include a scale. To next time, include a scale...or be prepared to fail. (RHYMES!!!!)

He sees you when you're sleeping...he knows when you're a-mapping.

The final map in this amazing blog is a map of the route Santa takes each year to my apartment. (The map is from the website freemaptools.com.) This map not only shows the distance it takes for Rudolph to guide Santa's sleigh to deliver my Zach Effron action figure with karate-chop action, it shows the expanse of the whole world. This really demonstrates what an amazing feat it is for Santa to deliver toys to all the nice boys and girls all over the world. Although let's be real, Santa doesn't exist. Most likely he died a long time ago, but was smart enough to create an army of Santa look-alike robots capable of working twice as hard as the real Santa (for much cheaper, kind of like Asian children). These robot Santa's are able to utilize the highly combustible combination of milk and cookies to travels at super-human speeds. But I digress. The truth is, this map is intersting because of the flight path Santa takes. I wanted to show that you cannot take all maps at face value. Although it looks like Santa is traveling a much longer distance than necessary, that is in fact the shortest route to deliver my toys. That is because of the way maps are usually flat and 2-D while the Earth is usually spherical and 3-D. The curve in the route follows the curvature of the Earth. Which I think is pretty cool.