Week 1

This map was created by a website called Calorielab. It shows the 50 states and Washington D.C. with the percentage of the population that is considered obese in each state. Furthermore, the states are color coded to show these percentages, with Colorado being the "leanest" state and Mississippi being the "fattest." Interestingly, these two states have opposite climates, suggesting a connection between obesity and weather. This map is interesting because the color coding allows me to make a generalization that more people in the Midwest and Southern states are obese, which leads to questions about why that is. Obesity can be attributed to diet, lifestyle, and genetics. Where the obese population is located can allow us to dissect the problem and potentially solve it. By asking what these "obese" states have in common, perhaps obesity can be better understood.


This is a map of Los Angeles and Orange County, found on a Los Angeles tourism site. It shows natural landmarks such as the Pacific Ocean and San Gabriel Mountains. However, the map emphasizes the many freeways in L.A. and Orange County, cities, and major tourist attractions. The major tourist attractions shown on this map include film studios and amusement parks such as Disneyland. This is interesting because it tells us that tourists visiting L.A. often group Orange County along with it. In addition, this map emphasizes how ubiquitous freeways are in Los Angeles. The prevalence of freeways in this area infers that many of its residents drive cars, which leads to further generalizations about Los Angeles culture and lifestyles.

This map by the United States Geological Survey was created with geological data. It shows the San Francisco Bay Area and the areas which are susceptible to soil liquefaction. The most susceptible areas boarder the bay. In an earthquake, liquefied soils provide poor structural support, leading to heavy damage to the structures which rest upon them. This is interesting because many of Northern California's urbanized areas, including major infrastructure, rest atop soil with high risk of liquefaction. The connection raises concern for these densely populated regions and a need to develop structural technologies which reduce the damage caused by an earthquake.