LAB 3 - My Maps: My European Tour

View Europe in a larger map

Neogeography is a relatively new phenomenon that has had the effect of revolutionizing the field of geography. It has put the power of map-making into the hands of untrained individuals. This change has brought both expected and unseen consequences. Although very advantageous, neogeography also has some negative attributes that should be acknowledged in order to maintain the accountability of geography as a whole. Neogeography has generated a new found interest in geography as people are able to create and interact with their own maps. In some ways, it has made every person a geographer. This interest has benefited the field for the importance of map-making has begun to be more widely recognized outside of the scientific community. Maps are a window to the world that we are too close to see for ourselves. Without maps, people would never be able to connect their mental maps with the actual layout of the planet. Maps can be extremely informative and are therefore very valuable. This widening of scope has allowed the field to experience a boom in interest allowing new facets of exploration, such as Geographic Information Systems, to take hold and become official segments of geography as a science. Neogeography has contributed greatly to the understanding of the value and importance of map making.

Despite this new-found respect for maps and their makers, it has also bred a new kind of map that threatens the validity of the maps created by professionals. As peopled are given the opportunity to create maps for themselves, some have begun to abuse this power, knowingly and unknowingly, to create maps that are not accurate. These maps undermine the field of geography by providing false or inaccurate information to people seeking to learn things from looking at a map created for the purpose of educating individuals about the world around them. As a consequence, the source of maps has become an integral piece of information when using a map in order to avoid using inaccurate maps made by inexperienced people. This may become more of a problem in the future as maps made by people other than professionals begin to appear more convincing.

Regardless of this setback in the field of neogeography, I believe that this new phenomenon will be beneficial overall. Ignorance is the enemy of education because you can't learn if you're unaware of what you don't know. Without acknowledging what we want to learn about the world, we will not be able to educate ourselves and others. Neogeography enables people formerly without access to these resources the ability to create and interact with maps. The interest generated from this experience has transformed, and will continue to transform, the field of geography opening the eyes of people as they are exposed to neogeography.

LAB 2 - USGS Topographic Map

1. What was the name of the quadrangle?
The name of the quadrangle is "Beverly Hills Quadrangle."


2. What are the names of the adjacent quadrangles?
Adjacent quadrangles include Canoga Park, Van Nuys, Burbank, Topanga, Hollywood, Venice, and Inglewood.


3. When was the quadrangle first created?
The quadrangle was first created in 1966.


4. What datum was used to create your map?
The horizontal datum used to create this map is the North American Datum (NAD) of 1927 and the vertical datum used is the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.


5. What is the scale of the map?
The scale of the map is 1:24,000.


6. At the above scale, answer the following:
a) 5 centimeters is equivalent to how many meters on the ground?
1/24,000 = 5 cm/x cm = 120,000 cm/1,000 = 1,200 meters
b) 5 inches on the map is equivalent to how many miles on the ground?
1/24,000 = 5 inches/x inches = 120,000 inches/63,360 inches = 1.89 miles
c) 1 mile on the map is equivalent to how many inches on the map?
1/24,000 = x miles/1 mile = 0.00004167 miles x 63,360 inches = 2.64 inches
d) 3 kilometets on the ground is equivalent to how many centimeters on the map?
1/24,000 = x km/3 km = 0.000125 km x 100,000 cm = 12.5 centimeters


7. What is the contour interval on your map?
The contours on the map occur in intervals of 20 feet.


8. What are the approximate geographic coordinates in both degrees/seconds and decimal degrees of:
a) the Public Affairs Building
34 degrees, 4 minutes, 28.8 seconds or 34.074 degrees North
118 degrees, 26 minutes, and 18 seconds or 0.438 degrees West
b) the tip of the Santa Monica Pier
34 degrees, 0 minutes, 27 seconds or 34.007 North
118 degrees, 29 minutes, 59.3 seconds or 118.5 degrees West
c) the Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir
34 degrees, 7 minutes, 12.5 seconds or 34.12 degrees North
118 degrees, 24 minutes, 37.01 seconds or 118.41 degrees West


9. What are the approximate elevation in both feet and meters of:
a) Greystone Mansion (in Greystone Park)
570 feet or 173.736 meters
b) Woodlawn Cemetery
140 feet or 42,672 meters
c) Crestwood Hills Park
700 feet or 213.36 meters


10. What is the UTM zone of the map?
The map is in UTM Zone 11.


11. What are the UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of your map?
The UTM coordinates for the lower left corner of the map are 3763000 northing and 362000 degrees easting.


12. How many square meters are contained within each cell (square) of the UTM gridlines?
Each cell of the UTM gridlines contains 1,000 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 measurements on campus. Insert your elevation profile as a graphic in your blog.

14. What is the magnetic declination of the map?
The magnetic declination of the map is 14 degrees easting.


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


16. Crop out (cut & paste) UCLA from the map and include is as a graphic on your blog.