Our reading this week was all about mapping. Both Alan McConchie and Beth Schechter’s “Anatomy of a Web Map” and Jim Detwiler’s “Introduction to Web Mapping” were intended to teach people to create their own web maps, but “Introduction to Web Mapping” is less instructive, as it includes more information about the history of web mapping. Detwiler lists four generations of web mapping, as recognized by BYU researcher Brandon Plewe, the last of which is characterized by 3D globes and immersive environments. These are elements of applications that strive to create more realistic renderings of our environment; examples include Google Earth, Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, and NASA’s WorldWind.
Although “Anatomy of a Web Map” considers Google Earth to be separate from the realm of web mapping, the application is included in Detwiler’s article as a global web mapping technology. Both articles seemed really interested in exploring the popularity of interactive elements in modern map-making, whether they take the form of “pop-ups” over locations of interest or the ability to zoom and pan. I think it can be interesting too to see how this interactivity ends up being utilized by consumers. A service like Google Maps can be kind of overwhelming—even though it gives us the power to explore almost any area we can think of, the first place most people want to search for is their own address, and its only obvious function is generating directions. Google occasionally showcases certain interesting places, but a lot of other websites have popped up featuring coordinates of beautiful locations, lists of embarrassing street view incidents, and rules for innovative games.
Most of these “guides” have popped up independently of Google and each has their own philosophy behind how to best supplement Google Maps. Time wrote briefly at one point about Oessa, a blog that is especially active in featuring creative Street View locations and includes coordinates in every post so that readers can explore the photographed area on their own. In an interview, the blog’s creator said that she did not find Google Maps compelling in and of itself, but that the world was inspiring and she appreciated that Google allowed her to access it. Although an application like Google Maps can be considered an impressive achievement in web mapping, it is still a tool, and it is often employed in ways that its creators did not exactly intend or foresee.