Mental Mapping Digital Mapping

Digital Mapping FALL 2016 Mental Mapping – Lab 2

Name: _______________________ Section #_____

Objectives:

Learn and apply the basic principles of a mental maps and map making.
Define spaces and routes from memory through the identification of landmarks and other spatial features of the physical and cultural landscape of Philadelphia.
Connect cognitive understandings of space and place with visual and symbolic representation.
Contrast your mental map with an ‘official’ map and consider the subjective and objective information that goes into each as well as the ways in which each map is useful or meaningful.
Consider why map makers include in or exclude particular pieces of information from their maps.

Deliverables:

Scan your hand drawn map or save your computer aided draft as an image file (like .jpg) and paste it into the end of this document (it should be at a high enough resolution to be legible).
Screenshot your Google Map and paste at the end of this document.
Complete the questions in Part III.
Rename this Section00#_lastname_firstname_lab02.doc with your name and submit according to TA’s instruction.

Instructions:

Read & review the mental map Powerpoint posted in week 2 folder of the Blackboard Course Notes Tab. Then complete the two exercises and questions below.

Reminder:

The goal of this assignment is NOT to replicate an existing map of Philadelphia or Temple. It is NOT necessary to include EVERY building, street, landmark, and space that appear in the official Temple Campus Map or Google Map. Instead, focus on trying to represent your own spatial cognition of those daily activities you experience through your daily navigation between home and Temple. It is okay to have errors in your mental map and to turn in more than one draft of your mental map.

Part I:

Create a map from memory that depicts your travel and activity patterns on a typical school day. You can use either the paper provided or software such as Powerpoint, Adobe Illustrator, or Paint to create your map.

The map needs to conform to the following guidelines:

Starts and ends at home
Shows your routes and modes of transportation used throughout the day
Shows the directions of travel
Includes at least 15 landmarks or major features (buildings, points of interest, and places where you eat, live, play, work, or that hold special meaning for you)
Uses symbols to show the landscape, environment, and smaller features

Create a Legend for your map that shows what all of your symbols mean.
Include a title, scale, orientation (North Arrow or Compass Rose), author, and date on your map.
Scan your map with either a document scanner or a smartphone (be sure it’s legible) and paste it into this document. (If you created your map using software copy and paste or embed it into this document).
Mental Map

Part II:

Now, go to https://www.google.com/maps and select the button for directions.
Enter the places between which you travel from your mental map using either the locations or by clicking on them. (add additional stops as necessary).
Select the main mode of transportation that you use (car, bike, transit, or walking).
Take a screen shot of your google directions map and paste it in this document
- Windows: Use the Snipping Tool from your start menu
- Mac: Follow these directions https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361
- Linux: Use the Take a Screen Shot tool or Printscreen
- Google Map

Part III: Compare your mental map with the map from Google Maps to answer the following questions:

What would you say are the key differences and key similarities between your map and the google map and why?

The key differences are the exact names of the places and the location of different places according to each other. The similarities are that both the maps have almost overall look.

What does your map include or emphasize that the google map does not? Why do you think this is the case?

I did not find anything in my map that the google map did not have.

Remember our discussion of Subjective and Objective approaches to understanding. Is your map more subjective or objective? What about the google map, more objective or subjective?

My map is more subjective as it consists of the names that of different place in a way I remembered and not what they exactly were. On the other hand Google is more objective as it has the exact grid and names of places.

What are the strengths and limitations of the map you drew? Would your map be easy for someone else to interpret and use? Does it hold information that is particular useful or meaningful to you?

The main strength of my map is personal to me as I have put different directions and places how I remembered and as I said earlier that the names of place are also how I remember them. For someone else, the map would be easy to follow around but not as much understandable as for me.

What areas or features are particularly well represented on your map? Why did you choose to emphasize these? Specifically, how has your own experience influenced what does and does not appear in your map? Describe how previous experiences and sensory factors have affected the map you drew.

I think that I have emphasized more on places where I go to get some food. I have been spending some time in the eating areas with my friends and we chat and have some fun time. The main reason that it has effectively influenced my sensory factors is because I am happy there.

What areas or features are emphasized on the Google Map? Why might Google have chosen to do this?

Google has emphasized on starting and ending address, the mode of transportation, distance and time it would take to reach the destination. The main purpose of Google map is to provide travel information related to moving from one place to another, therefore the mentioned travel information is vital to their map.

Don’t forget to paste both of your maps at the end of this document.

Supplemental Reading: