Circulation and Use of Maps - Participatory Mapping: New Data, New Cartography - page 119

seen with the data from GlobalDIRT and the data
that we took, these portable devices have to be
operated properly, and that is not easy, to get
reliable results. I guess, GP realized that
their data is not trustworthy and withdrew it (if
they have released it in the first time). 9
Comparisons among maps in the comment section
are interrupted repeatedly by the argument that the data
are unreliable. This pattern of online argumentation can be
compared to the Godwin point 10 . It was originally used on
the Usenet forum, and states that the longer a discussion
thread on an online comment section lasts, the higher the
chances of seeing a reference to Hitler or fascism. The
discussion is then said to have reached its Godwin point as it
can only go downhill. If we apply this concept to the online
discussions about radiation maps, we see that the maps are
either discarded for being provided by the government, in
which case they have potentially been tampered with; or
they rely on Geiger counter data, which are easily misused
and therefore provide potentially inaccurate data. In either
case, the argument used to dispute maps lies in the data
they use.
7.2.3. Stepping in on a controversial point
The global controversy as to the levels of and locations
affected by the radiation can be subdivided into various
sub-controversies, such as the consumption of potentially
contaminated food or the surface area and methods of
9 Message by Kalin, June 21, 2011, 6:12. See: https://groups.google.com/
group/safecast-japan/browse_thread/thread/c0b2c67b8e23c02e?hl=
en&noredirect=true.
10 Named after Mike Godwin who invented the concept.