Lab 5

1. The equator spans 360 decimal degrees.
2. North-South measures 180 decimal degrees.

And no, just because Brazil appears smaller than Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica on the Mercator projection does not mean that they are larger than Brazil in real-life. Each projection has its difficulties and shows size relative to the projection, and unfortunately not equal to size in real life.

This exercise in map projections has taught me several key lessons about not only map-making, but about map-reading as well. Different projections lead to different scales and sizes, making some land masses appear larger or smaller in perspective. If even I can make a particular territory appear larger or smaller based on the map projection that I choose, then in the hands of a professional map-creation can certainly distort reality in a way to make a particular point.

This really adds on to what we discussed in class, especially when we began to discuss how different colors map certain map attributes jump out. By utilizing color alone, particular elements of a map may jump out at the viewer and create a designed impression that either backs up or rejects a certain assertion.

This is particularly unnerving because like numbers, maps are viewed in the eyes of the general public as something that must be absolutely and positively true. In the same way that statistics can be used to manipulate numbers, GIS can manipulate maps. Prior to this lab, I had no idea that maps could be manipulated in such drastic fashion merely by re-assessing the map projection. Like all things, I hope that this power is used in good faith to create the most accurate and best possible recreations of reality, but I am scared that the technology could easily be manipulated to refocus ideological positions.

*Note: Once again, I pasted each map into their own post, as for some reason my Blogger account has prevented me from posting multiple photos into the same post.