Maps

Question 1

Overview

Answer 1

Maps have long been used to locate places but they can
also influence how we think or feel about a place and as
such play a very important role in both our sense of place
and perception of place. It is important to cast a critical
eye over the reliability and accuracy of maps as throughout
history they have distorted reality. For example, early
world maps such as the Mappamundi (c.1300) depicted
the world as a flat disk with the Holy Land and Jerusalem
at the centre. During the period of colonial expansion,
maps exaggerated area size and resources (and thus
strategic importance). Early cartographers (map-makers)
very much ‘promoted the cause of empire’

Question 2

Negatives

Answer 2

Maps can include hidden bias and influence. Google
Maps is a search engine which allows people to search
for and find out about places. While undoubtedly an
invaluable tool in researching place, it is worth noting
that it is not done in a strictly objective way. In fact,
Google Maps, like any search engine filters place -
directing people towards businesses that have engineered
their appearance on the first page of a Google search.

Question 3

Counter mapping

Answer 3

Counter-mapping describes a bottom-up process
by which people produce their own maps, informed
by their own local knowledge and understanding of
places. You could try this for your own local place.