Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
concepts and skills in Parts 2 and 3. The types shown here are an arbitrary
selection intended to show how types of maps vary at different scales.
Mental Maps
Many people find that mental maps are a great way to start thinking about
how maps represent and communicate about the world. Thematic, topo-
graphic, and cadastral maps are useful for communication because they fol-
low known and accepted conventions, but they often have little in common
with our day-to-day experiences. Mental maps are much stronger on this
point, but suffer from weaknesses as a reliably understood means of commu-
nication. Mental maps communicate what an individual knows and can draw
about some aspect and part of the world. A mental map represents particu-
lar geographic relationships based on the experience of an individual. A
mental map communicates those relationships from the perceptions of one
or sometimes a small group of people, but often can be difficult to under-
stand without some form of description or use of standardized cartographic
representations.
Based on human perception and behavior, Kevin Lynch developed men-
tal maps in the 1950s as a planning technique for understanding how a city
was legible. “Legible,” for Lynch, meant how well the structure and organiza-
tion of a city helps supports people's lives by being easily understood and
requiring a minimum of effort. Using systematized graphic elements, Lynch
cartographically represented people's mental maps of the city to show how
they perceived and moved about the city. Mental maps are often used to
help planners gain a better understanding of what features in the city need
improvement or change. Many researchers have gone on to use mental maps
along these lines to assess gender, race, or age differences in urban experi-
ences and life. It is important to remember that mental maps generally lack a
consistent scale or set of symbols. Because they are usually purpose-oriented
and based on the selective memory and knowledge of one person or group,
they are incomplete by nature and often hard for others to use. For example,
in Figure 1.8, the dashed lines connecting the person's home neighborhood
to downtown could indicate any distance; the readers of the map can only
know how great or small a distance if they know the drawer or the area.
Geography and Cartography in Harmony
To successfully use GIS and make informative maps, geographic representa-
tion and cartographic communication must work together. Before getting
into the details later in the topic, let's look at the how geographers and car-
tographers usually understand and represent the world. You may already
know how your field or profession makes geographic information and maps.
However, your work with maps and geographic information may greatly ben-
efit from thinking about the conventions in your field or profession and the
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