Post #12

I've decided to change my topic for the final project from the one I had proposed in a previous post. What I would like to do instead is examine the remediation of maps from the traditional paper format to the current digital form. Everything from books to letters have made the transition to the digital world and maps are no exception. Today we have the ability to see nearly every square inch of the world by using programs such as Google Earth. Along with this visual freedom comes potential problems such as terrorists locating potential targets and planning their strategies by examining any area they wish. Furthermore, there is a voyueristic aspect to these programs since anyone can see practically any location they wish without consequences. On the positive side, people can utilize tools such as Mapquest to give them directions instead of pulling out the old paper map and navigating for themselves. Additionally, digital maps can identify businesses other points of interest we may need to find. It is changes such as these that I will identify as reasons in which the map has been remediated and not simply changed form. We are now solving issues we didn't even know we had before, such as not having to pull over and try to find out where we are or not needing a phonebook to find out where the nearest McDonald's is located.

Instead of simply making this a research paper on how maps have changed in the digital era, I'm going to make the argument that we, as a culture, have changed because of the remediation of maps. With digital maps, we no longer need navigation skills as long as people are willing to be completely reliant on their electronic devices. Furthermore, the storage of information our culture typically had to possess in the past for things such as locations is also not a necessity, though this dependence on the internet does bring up some issues I wish to discuss. Just as the evolution of the written form saw people's memorization skills plummet, so too will our ability to navigate and remember where places are located with this new technology.

Another issue I will examine and argue is the unreliability of digital maps in truthfully and fairly representing businesses and their locations. A valid fear associated with digital maps is that major business will be able to highlight their locations while hiding or excluding the location of local companies. This can be seen in the Facebook application "Places", which tends to emphasize major businesses and leave others completely out, as if one would look up on the block Facebook is displaying and all the local businesses just wouldn't be there. Manipulation of digital maps will be a major focus of my research paper and I will incorporate all of these concepts to present a full examination of the remediation of maps.

Annotated Bibliography:


Athey, Jennifer.The Transition from Traditional to Digital Mapping. Alaska GeoSurvey News. Vol. 11, No. 2, October 2008. .

This article will be helpful because it defines digital mapping by stating “Digital mapping is defined as using a computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) to show and record information that has traditionally been recorded on paper” and then continues by discussing how and why the transition to the digital form has happened.

Farman, Jason. Mapping the digital empire: Google Earth and the process of postmodern cartography. New Media and Society. 2010. .

Farman’s discussion on Google Earth will be especially helpful since I plan to analyze this program in particular at great length throughout my paper. His opinion that Google Earth tends to receive less criticism regarding accuracy since it uses satellites is one that I will discuss in my essay.

Harley, J.B. The New Nature of Maps: Essays in the History of Cartography. Baltimore: The John’s Hopkins University Press.

I plan to use Harley’s article to provide a history of maps before the remediation to digital form occurred in order to distinguish the major differences between then and now. By doing this, I believe I can provide enough information to support my claim of said remediation and further my argument on the effects of digital maps.

Kramer, John. Digital Mapping Systems for Field Data Collection. Condor Earth Technologies, Inc. .

This article will be useful because it discuss the technical advantages that digital mapping has over traditional maps, such as the ability to use cameras to get precise depictions of land formations. Also, there is a discussion on “born” digital maps which are produced on site that I would like to examine in my research.

Marcum, Deanna. Keepers of the Crumbling Culture: What Digital Preservation Can Learn from Library History. D-Lib Magazine. Vol. 9. May 2003. .

I think this article will be useful because of its discussion on why digital technology causes us to look at content in a different manner. I believe I can apply this information to digitized maps and use quotes to support my argument that this remediation has changed how we interpret and utilize information.