Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
This map shows all trains (yellow pins) on the
London Underground network in
approximately
real time. [emphasized by us]
Somerville goes on to explain how his map works in the
section
How does it work?
:
Live departure data is fetched from the TfL API,
and then it does a bit of maths and magic. It's
surprisingly okay, given this was done in only a
few hours at Science Hackday on 19/20th June
2010, and the many naming/location issues
encountered, some unresolved. A small number of
stations are misplaced or missing; occasional
trains
behave
oddly;
some
H&C
and
Circle
stations are missing in the TfL feed.
“A bit of magic”: on the part of a computer scientist can
be interpreted not as an exhibition of computing skills, but
more as the recognition of the limitations of the program,
where the elements gathered in the mashup are held
together just like “magic.” It also emphasizes the level of
contingency and randomness that play a part in making a
map. Indeed, according to Somerville it is somewhat
“surprising” that the application works so well. But the
bricolage also has its limits and the designer lists the
problems that persist with the data, including missing
stations and trains showing unexpected behaviors.
4.2.3.
Ensuring validity
Can online maps claim to be scientific objects even though
they are both a way of expressing subjectivity and a process
of technical contingency involving bricolage? Their designers
may clearly state the various pitfalls, which mostly relate to
the projection system and the reliability of the data used
(including when they involve Web users' contributions) to
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