Week 3: Neogeography

This is a map I made using Google Maps, which shows after-hours dining options around UCLA.

View UCLA Late Night Food Map in a larger map

The growing popularity of neogeography has brought many benefits to those who utilize it. The ability to create and view custom maps using tools like those in Google Maps allows users to share spatial information. However, every personalized map contains a bias as to what is shown and what is not. In doing so, the map conveys the creator's personal interests. For example, a map which maps out a walking tour of San Francisco would be representative of what landmarks and activities the creator is interested in. A walking tour of the city created by a photographer may may point out many scenic spots, making it especially useful to other photographer that want to find the scenic points. However, the same map may not be as useful to someone who wishes to visit historical landmarks in San Francisco.

As neogeography becomes more prevalent, popular points of interest continue to gain popularity while unmarked locations suffer. For example, if my map of restaurants became widely used, the locations I marked on the map would see a substantial boost in business. However, the restaurants that I did not include may be losing their customers to these businesses. In the age of iPhones and neogeography, a restaurant would suffer considerably by not being included in a database of restaurants. People have become more reliant on internet reviews and databases when looking for restaurants, which forces restaurants to keep up to date with technology.