Lab 3: Neogeography

View Places I've Been With The US Navy in a larger map

     People today are obsessed with broadcasting personal information about their whereabouts and activities. With websites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, personal blogs and a number of others, countless numbers of people have access to the information you provide. Google Maps is one particular means of providing information geographically for others to gain insight on locations throughout the world. This form of neogeography provides easy access for people to learn about places they plan on visiting, places they’ve been, or places they are simply curious about. The information is easy to obtain, and the integrated multimedia enhances the represented data.

     However, a great amount of caution should be used when providing such information to the public. For example, my map was about places I have been since being in the United States Navy. I took great care in making sure certain operational areas were generalized. I did not mark the exact points of where my unit was operating out of; instead I placed the points in the general surrounding area so to not jeopardize future operations. If I showed the exact operating areas, the security of military units could be compromised and their lives be put in danger. Granted not all social network sites or neogeography sites deal with military affiliated information, however information provided may still put individuals at risk. Providing routine whereabouts and places visited make it easy for other people to find that person. It’s very difficult to monitor who views what on the internet, and there are dangerous people out there. Additionally, there isn’t someone to monitor the accuracy of the information provided. Someone living in Italy may post false information about ruins in an incorrect area of the country and a student in may use that information to plan a trip or use it for a research project. When using mediums created by unofficial means, everyone should consider the risks and erroneous possibilities.

Lab 2: USGS Topographic Map Questions

1. Beverly Hills Quadrangle
2. Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, Inglewood
3. 1966
4. National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929
5. 1: 24,000
6. a) 5cm = 1,200 m
    b) 5in = 1.89 mi.
    c) 1 mi = 2.64 in.
    d) 3km = 12.5cm
7. 20 feet
8. a) Public Affairs Building: 34 4' 27.83"N, 118 26' 20.75"W / 34.0744, -118.4391
    b) Tip of Santa Monica Pier: 34 0' 26.63"N, 118 30' 0"W / 34.0074, -118.5000
    c) Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir: 34 7' 13.79"N, 118 24' 36.35"W / 34.1205, -118.4101
9. a) Greystone Mansion- 580' / 176.78m
    b) Woodlawn Cemetery- 140' / 42.67m
    c) Crestwood Hills Park- 700' / 213.36m
10. Zone 11
11. Zone 11, 361450 easting, 3762975 northing
12. 1000 square meters
13. Elevation Profile:

14. + 14 degrees
15. South
16. UCLA Graphic:

Lab 1: Three Maps From The Internet

     I was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and lived there for most of my life. Navigating through Metropolitan Phoenix was very simple because the city roads were arranged in a simple grid pattern. The major intersections were at an average of one mile intervals and there were only a few one way streets in the downtown vicinity. Distances were easy to calculate, and if a turn was missed, the driver could quickly regain track by making two rights and a left, or to lefts and a right without going too far off the original route. The major freeways also created a loop around the most urban areas, as well as cut through the middle, making highway transit efficient.  This map illustrates the simplicity of the layout of the Metro Phoenix road system and the adjacent communities which make up the Metro Phoenix area.

Source: Rein and Grossoehme, high-yield.com.Accessible at: http://www.high-yield.com/images/Phoenix_map_sm.jpg  6:08pm, Oct.7, 2010

     In July, I moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of California. Navigating through the Los Angeles area is a challenge that I deal with on a day to day basis. As the below map illustrates, the roads are arranged in no particular geometric pattern, with the exception of the freeways which bear slight resemblance to a wheel spoke, causing horrendous congestion during peak travel hours at the interchanges. Additionally, certain roads go east and west or north and south for a few miles, then change direction. Other roads just curve or are diagonal in route. This makes navigating extremely challenging for a novice trying to establish a sense of direction while commuting.

     I understand the major factor of the differences between the road layouts between Phoenix, AZ and Los Angeles, CA may simply be that Los Angeles is far more undulating than Phoenix, which is situated in the middle of a valley and is therefore mostly flat. However, I still believe that patterns could still be established to improve the efficiency of the urban commute in Los Angeles.

Source: California 2003, ko-ala-germany.de. Accessible at: http://www.ko-ala-germany.de/html/california_2003.html  5:55pm, Oct. 7, 2010

     In addition, while comparing and contrasting Phoenix and Los Angeles I observed that Phoenix and Los Angeles communities were for the most part, relatively clustered together without gaps between them. However, an interesting observation I made was the fact that the City of Los Angeles has a few communities that appear to “drip” south of the main majority. I just find it strange how the communities south of the major cluster (Harbor City, Wilmington, San Pedro, and Terminal Island) are part of the City of Los Angeles, while communities such as Culver City, Beverly Hills, and Marina Del Rey are not, even though they are completely surrounded by communities that are part of the City of Los Angeles.

Source: Los Angeles Map, losangelesmap.org. Accessible at: http://www.losangelesmap.org/map_los_angeles.jpg  6:00 pm, Oct. 7, 2010

Katherine Waltz
GEOG 7, LAB 1E