Lab3: Neogeography

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Deemed the Happiest Place on Earth, Disneyland is one of my favorite places to visit even at this age. Although it may seem childish, this place brings back fond memories of my childhood as well as allows for new memories to be made with friends. The above map is the route that I always take throughout the day on my trip, going from land to land around in a circle. One must be efficient when going to Disneyland, taking advantage of all the best rides by getting a fast pass and skipping the long waiting lines. My favorite ride is Matterhorn, denoted by the red polygon.

     Neogeography, literally meaning "new geography", refers to the emergence of a user and community-centered ability to share geographical information. Often seen as revolutionary, it enabled non-experts and everyday users to utilize and share geographical information with one another through mash-ups such as Google Maps, Microsoft Bing Maps, and Mapquest. As 80% of things in this world are locatable, neogeography proved to have some advantages such as increased geographical awareness, freedom to post and access geographical information, and even the ability to make maps for everyone creating a richer, more interactive experience.
    However, there are some pitfalls to this progression towards neogeography. For example, because it is user-oriented and often used by volunteers, it is susceptible to misrepresentations and errors by amateur geographers and non-experts. Often due to inaccurate mapping, geographical data and information may be unreliable. In addition, many of the details that are of interest to one person may be oversimplified,not represented, or distorted to other viewers that might be seeking similar yet different information.
     In turn, neogeography creates specific maps, catered to one's personal interests; therefore, people must provide honest and reliable information as there are strong interactions with its community. Specific to the needs of the person's needs and desires, this map can be helpful in directing one's needs in a simple representation of a local map that will be much easier to read and free of potential biases of the particular company. In addition, neogeography provides a more practical use to sharing geographical information in everyday culture, helping people visualize locations better and providing a richer experience for its viewers. As neogeography proves to be a volunteer-based sharing of geographical information, any map can be created for any type of information desire but may be vulnerable to distortions of factual geographical information.