Please find an example of a guide book or gazetteer and evaluate how it presents spatial information to help the reader plan a tour of a region. Please note that the discussion prompt has changed slightly from last week.
Please find an example of a guide book or gazetteer and evaluate how it presents spatial information to help the reader plan a tour of a region. Please note that the discussion prompt has changed slightly from last week.
Citation:
Walt Disney World Resort. “Walt Disney World Overview Maps”. No scale. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/maps/. Accessed on 18th February 2010.
Key Words: Reference Map, Tour, A snap shot, Interactive object, Advertisement, Graphics software, Perspective
This is an interactive map of Walt Disney world that I found on the Disney World website. The target user group seems to be potential visitors because the map is not portable at all, is highly stylized and at the top of the page the words DISCOVER, PLAN and BOOK are drop down menus.
I found this map series under the plan tab. The first page that the link directs you to is universal view of the entire park complex. The features look like an island floating on a white background. Different regions of the greater complex (Magic Kingdom, Epcot etc) are represented by 2d landmarks with which those regions are associated. Numbers enclosed in a white circle outlined in blue are located near these landmarks. These numbers correspond with an index on the left hand side of the page and when you direct the mouse to them, the region’s title pops up in a text box. Users can zoom into any section of the park by clicking a number. When one does so, a description of the region pops up with a link to a more detailed map of the region. The park level extent also provides a feature index and feature descriptions.
Although this map is highly stylized, it provides users with enough information about the topology of the park to get a sense of what the park is like but not enough information to navigate between parks. In addition, the stylized representations of park features provide users with a lot of information about what they are seeing. The map is clean and looks like a cartoon. It makes the park look appealing. The interactive nature of this map makes it very easy to use and understand.
Mellor, Don. Climbing in the Adirondacks: A Guide to Rock and Ice Routes in the Adirondack Park. Lake George, NY: Adirondack Mountain Club, Inc. 1995.
Keywords: Guidebook, Tour, snapshot, portable object, secondary sources, GIS and pen & ink, planimetric and perspective, relative location, toponyms, line reference symbols, area reference symbols.
This guidebook is designed for rock and ice climbers who are interested in exploring routes in the Adirondacks. It not only describes routes in terms of their level of difficulty and the kinds of equipment one will need, but it also serves to document the unique history of each route, as the information presented here is a compilation of the records of several long-time Adirondack climbers. The presumed modality of the target audience is a mixture of car and foot: it is expected that climbers will drive to trail heads and hike the approach to the climb. Since the primary focus of the guidebook is on the scale of the climbs themselves rather than how to get to the climbs, it is also expected that users will have a good road map and a trail map with them. The climbs in the guidebook are grouped by region, and the book opens with a small-scale reference map of main roads (though no roads outside the park boundary), town names, and the locations of each of climbing sub-region. Each region has a section in the book, and some sections begin with a nice, hand-drawn, un-scaled map of what each climb looks like and their relative locations to one another and to roads, parking areas, and trails (very helpful). Other sections begin with a scanned USGS topo reference map with the general area indicated (these are not as helpful). Within each section, each climb is given a verbal description and a photo of the face with digitized routes shown.
The primary perceptual constraint for users is getting to the climbs. while there is some indication on some maps for what the trail looks like, the guidebook relies on verbal descriptions for its trails. Since most of these trails are climber’s trails rather than official, marked hiking trails, they are unlikely to be found on a standard hiking map of the Adirondacks. Since the climbs are described with photos, it is usually easy to recognize them when one arrives. The only perceptual constraint here would be for ice routes, which may vary in appearance, difficulty, and reliability depending on conditions.
Since the photos of each wall are taken from the perspective of an approaching climber, it is easy for users to carry this book along and hold it up to what they see to compare and identify on the wall itself the routes that are marked on the photograph. It is probably not quite small enough to fit in a pocket, but since most of the approaches are not long hikes, it is certainly easy to carry.
Citation:
Wise, Kenneth and James Andrews (1997). The Best Short Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains (guidebook). 1st Edition. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press.
Key Words:
Reference map, portable object, guidebook, distance, direction, scale, point reference symbols, manipulable object, snap shot, page in a book, unknown sources, graphics software, planimetric, toponyms (place names).
Description:
“The Best Short Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains” is a guidebook that contains maps, descriptions, and photos of “short hikes” (i.e. “completed within a half day”) and “day hikes” (completed “in the better part of a day”) in the Great Smoky Mountains. The book is probably meant to be taken on these hikes given its relatively small size (9” x 6”). Although the locater map at the beginning of the book shows the entire Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the book only focuses on select hikes/routes (22 of them). This is because there are “over one hundred trails tracing eight hundred miles of mountain terrain” in the Smokies, and it would be very difficult to fit all of them into a small guidebook.
The maps contained in this guidebook do a good job with:
1. Symbols; the legends remain consistent for all 22 maps (although there are a few maps that have no legend at all).
2. Water sources; they are not too heavily detailed and their intersections with the trails are show.
The maps do NOT do a good job with:
1. Elevation; there are no contours, so it is hard to judge how difficult a hike is without reading its description as well.
2. Color; all of the maps are in black and white, although this doesn’t necessarily hinder the maps since their purpose is to show direction.
3. Scale; the scales of the maps do not remain the same for all maps. This is most likely a result of the fact that some trails are longer than others.
A reader could plan a tour of the region with this map very easily by selecting a trail/route and reading its description. The description tells a person how to get there and where to go once he/she gets on the trail. Additionally, there are usually several prominent landmarks on the maps that are detailed in the map description that can help a reader locate him- or herself at a specific time.
Micheal Hermann (2002). The University of Maine Recreational Trails. (Scale on paper: 1in=1/2mi)
http://www.umaine.edu/canam/pdf/%20%20%20Trail%20Map%2003-04.pdf
Keywords:Reference map, Tour, Portable object, Portable object, Fold-out map, Image on a computer screen, Primary sources, Secondary sources, Graphic Software, Distance, Direction, Toponyms, user knowledge
The target audience for this map is mainly students, faculty and staff at UMaine. Created for the recreational program, this map promotes trails around campus. Despite the map itself, it also includes brief description of each numbered trail and texts about volunteer and trail maintenance. “A word of caution” adds some humor to the map. These contents, catered to a local community, encourage engagement and safety, thus fostering a sense of place.
Students, a local group as opposed to tourists, are as interested in acquiring local knowledge as they are in recreation (e.g. how to get to the grocery store.) The map, while showing trails and bike paths as part of the recreation, also highlights other travel paths (dirt roads, university roads) and places (supermarkets, gym, health center.) It essentially creates a road network for students to run errands, exercise and, in case it happens, get emergency help at the same time. The cartographer calculated and sometimes gave best guesses to the distances of trail segments, which allows the students to “schedule” their walks and runs.
The map demonstrates the trails in a highly generalized fashion and does not serve as a way-following map. I assume that the trails have corresponding signs about directions; otherwise, this map would be impractical for new trail/road network users. Topography is described with the phrase “steep caution,” which appears next to several trail numbers. After looking up the university site on a terrain map, in which it shows a rather flat topography, this choice to omit such information seems plausible.
Citation: Robbins, Elaine ed (1994). Fodor’s Costa Rica, Belize Guatemala: The Complete Guide with Rain Forests, Maya Ruins and Beaches. New York. Random House, Inc.
Key Words: reference map, graphic, snap shot, portable object, small figure on a page, primary and secondary sources, graphics software, planimetric, distance, direction, area, shape, scale, toponyms, point reference symbols, line reference symbols, area reference symbols, land cover, roads, tourist amenities, recreation, dining, points of interest, bona fide boundaries, fiat boundaries, networks
Discussion: This 4X7 inch travel guide book contains a plethora of detailed information concerning the countries of Costa Rica, Belize, and Guatemala, which is convenient because these countries are small and travel between them is likely. This guide book could be helpful to a variety of audiences, from single travelers to families. It contains information concerning travel by car, boat, bus, or plane, outdoor activities, entertainment and spectator sports, arts, shopping, guided tours, dining and lodging. It appears to be more geared towards the conservative vacation travelers who are looking for something fun, but not overly adventurous and self-guided, although they do have a section called “off the beaten path” (lesser know attractions) and included youth hostels in their list of lodging options.
Each country has its own chapter and contains a country map in the first couple pages. This map is a black and white, non-GIS graphic that shows road networks, cities, points of interest, beaches, mountains, rivers, and airports primarily. Although these maps have no key, they are clear, basic (no contour lines), and intuitive (umbrellas for beaches, caricatures of mountains) which is ideal for the travelers who are probably utilizing this book. The rest of the chapter is broken up into sections based on particular regions. Each region also has its own map which includes the aforementioned on a larger, more detailed scale. Each regional section also contains a road map of the main city in the area, which contains street names, and dining and lodging references. Almost all of the maps contain a scale bar for reference purposes.
Due to spatial constraints, most of the regional maps only label main roads, although they show some smaller ones, which would make navigation by car almost impossible. This implies that the map makers are assuming that most travel with be guided or travelers will be utilizing public transportation.
Ward Smith (2009) Rumney, (Scale unknown), Tylergraphics, Laconia NH 7-8
Reference Map, Vista/Tour, Long Exposure, Portable Object, Figure on a page, Primary/Secondary Sources, Graphics Software, Perspective, Shape, Point/Line Reference Symbols, Contours, Bona Fide boundaries
The guide book for the Rumney rockclimbing area in Rumney, New Hampshire uses basic perspective maps to show visitors the many established routes up the rock walls. When introducing the climbing area the guide book incorporates a reference map of New Hampshire detailing roads and climbing area locations and a street reference map to guide people to the rock area from the freeway.
The guidebook caters to rockclimbers by printing in a portable format on heavy glossy paper that can withstand use and abuse in the outdoors. The guidebook explains the proper etiquette for climbing and hiking around Rumney, which is helpful for people climbing or visiting Rumney for the first time. The guidebook takes advantage of climbers’ experience but does not assume that all readers will inherently understand the topo maps. The symbology of the topo maps is explained at the beginning of the guidebook and details the routes as well as hazards and areas to avoid while climbing.
All of the topo maps have perspective projections that match the viewers’ view from the bottom of the cliff, making it very easy to connect information on the map to the referred to object.
The maps are hindered by amateurish portrayals in graphics software. The symbols are basic and there is little hierarchy within the maps for symbols or type. Using photographs as base maps and placing line and point information over them would improve the map quality and accuracy. Overall, it is inexcusable that book’s title makes no reference to rockclimbing.
Citation: Birkett, Bill. Classic Treks. Boston, New York, London: Bulfinch Press. 2000.
Keywords: Guidebook, tour, snapshot, portable object, small figure on a page, unknown sources, GIS, Planimetric, toponyms, shaded relief
Discussion: This book is meant to inspire people to select to go on the “classic treks” described (in great detail and with beautiful pictures) and mapped in this book. It is not meant to be a guidebook brought along on the treks as it is quite large and heavy. A separate map of the selected trail would be needed in order to actually go on the trek. Each trail has both a locator map to place it in a larger context and a larger scale trail map. The book is divided into sections by continent and the locator maps for the trails in each continent show the full continent with a circle around the area with the trail. Additionally, there is an elevation profile along with each of the trail maps to aid in selecting which trail is appropriate for a user’s skill level. This is a helpful addition to the maps because it conveys how steep the terrain is without needing to use topolines, which can be confusing to unfamiliar readers and also make a map much busier.
One perceptual constraint that is quite evident in the trail maps is that the font size had to be large enough to be legible, but that led to the maps looking quite cramped in certain areas with many labeled features. The maps could not be made larger to aid in making the labels look less cramped because they had to fit on the pages with a great deal of other information. They authors dealt with the different shapes of each trail by having very different page layouts for each different trail. In every case, the map follows the shape of the trail, not a distinct geometric shape, and is surrounded by text and other images on facing pages. In many cases the map crosses between two pages, which is unfortunate because some of the detail is lost in the crease between pages.
The level of detail in the map is appropriate for the use of selecting which trek the reader would want to go on, but is not as detail as a map would need to be in order to actually navigate the trails. This level of detail is very appropriate because it allows the maps to be used for exactly what they are intended for without being cluttered by unneeded detail.
Citiation:
Hardy, Larose, Rose , eds. (2003) “Long Trail Guide, Hiking Vermont’s High Ridge” (guide book). Twenty-fifth ed.: Green Mountain Club.
Key Words:
Guide book, tour, snap shot, portable object, figure on a page, secondary sources, primary sources, graphics software, GIS, planimetric, scale, direction, distance, toponyms, line reference symbols, point reference symbols, contours, land cover, bona fide boundaries.
Discussion:
The Green Mountain Club’s Long Trail Guide (2003) is structured to provide relevant spatial and relevant information for two sorts of users: the day hiker, and the through hiker. The trail is broken up into 12 divisions, with two separate sections showing Appalachian Trail segments. Each one of these divisions offers a good representational and descriptive portrayal of the area. It is obvious, however, that the guide book targets day hikers over through hikers. For one, a through hiker wouldn’t carry the extra weight of pages explaining the history of the GMC, as well as conservation policies and rules that they already know. Each section is also filled with suggestions for day hikes, and usually a nice painting of drawing of a vista on the trail in that section. It makes sense for the GMC to target day hikers, as through hikers provide a poor market for book-selling. What should be included, however, is a fold out area map of the entire trail, or large segments of the trail, that would allow through hikers to take them without burdening themselves with a small but still unnecessary book.
The size of the book is perfect for the target audience of day hikers—small enough to put in the backpack, but too large for a serious through hiker who has the capacity constraint of pack weight. The scaling is done well in each section, mainly because the area of each map is small, allowing for a detailed contour/feature map, as well as an accurate elevation map. Features shown on the map are easy to pick out on the trail.
Klausmeyer, David. Trout Streams of Northern New England. Backcountry guides. Woodstock, VT, 2001.
Keywords: reference map; tour(s); long exposure; portable object; small figure on a page; primary sources; graphics software; planimetric; preserves distance, direction, area, shape, scale; shows toponyms, line reference symbols, point reference symbols
This is a guidebook for planning a fishing trip. The book is mostly textual description, and is certainly not weather/waterproof. It measures approximately 5” by 8 ½”, so while it could certainly be brought in a car to these various rivers one would not want to carry it out in the water itself. There is an extent map before the table of contents highlighting Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine with major towns and cities in each. This map is easy to read, and simply acts as context. There are no roads marked, and while there are rivers marked there are no names or any other information to inform about their qualities. It is not an aid for choosing an area, simply for understanding the extent the book will cover.
The book is divided by state, and then each state into three latitudinal sections. There are maps every few pages for each new group of creeks and rivers. There list of qualities, such as description, access, best assets, biggest drawback, regulations, and the author’s favorite flies, as well as freeform description of the landscape, best way to travel there, etc. The maps seem purely supplemental – one can find the highways and rivers mentioned on the maps, but there is no fishing data displayed on them. All with similar designs, they are grayscale with good distinctions between roads, rivers, and stream lines. The only other symbols are those for towns, and so no legends are given or necessary. Unfortunately, the large-scale maps are not ever placed in the larger context – one has to infer from the section of the book and the travel description where they is actually located.
Citation:
Rolfe, John and Ed (2004). Vermont’s Long Trail: A Footpath in the Wilderness (map). First Edition. UTM 100 m GPS grid. Twin Mountains, NH: The Wilderness Map Company.
Key Words:
Reference map, geographic, long exposure, portable object, fold-out map, secondary sources, sources unknown, GIS, planimetric, other, toponyms, point, line, area reference symbols, elevation profile
Discussion:
This is a foldout map of Vermont’s Long Trail. It helps a user plan a hike (day trip or otherwise) along the trail. The map is both portable and waterproof, which makes it ideal to carry during a hike. The foldout map is composed of a locator map and seven detailed maps of each part of the trail.
The locator map serves all intended purposes well:
1. It situates the trail clearly…within a map of the state of Vermont. The state is colored light green and the trail is colored bright yellow, which provides adequate contrast to highlight the trail.
2. Red boxes serve as a reference for the seven more detailed maps of different parts of the trail. Each box is clearly labeled Map 1, Map 2, etc.
3. A user knows how to get to each part of the trail because all major state and U.S. highways are shown.
4. Location references like towns (points) and parts of the Green Mt. National Forest (area) might help a user choose generally which part of trail he/she might want to hike.
The legend for each of the seven detailed maps is on the locator map, which could cause some flipping back and forth. Each map has boxed text descriptions of various hikes, symbols that indicate skill level and contour lines to show elevation. Proximate roads and parking are also shown. Cool, roughly shaded elevation profiles along the top of the entire foldout map help hikers gauge the difficulty of each part of the map.
1. Citation
Delorme. Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer. Twelfth edition. Yarmouth, ME: Delorme, 2007.
2. Keywords
Atlas, Gazetteer, Way-finding map, Roads, Tour, Semi-portable book, GIS, Toponyms, Point-reference symbols, Line-reference symbols, Area-reference symbols, Contours, Shaded relief
3. Discussion
The Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer is designed as an all-purpose reference guide for places, activities, and roads in the state. The company Delorme publishes books for each state, so they do a very professional job. The book is designed to fit in a car or boat, and has information regarding hiking, biking, finding views, XC skiing, boating, skiing – basically the main activities that Vermonter’s partake in. Its large size decreases overall clutter, and allows the book to include a lot of information.
The atlas divides the state into about 35 boxes, each of which is shown on a full page of the book. Each section is scaled at 1” = 2.5 km, which given the size of the book allows the viewer to see a fairly large area (there are additional pages that show large-scale views of towns so a reader can render directions through cities and towns). The maps are colored, include shaded relief and contour lines (which allow for easy interpretation of scaling relations), and have intuitive point reference symbols for mountains, cities, towns, recreational spots, etc. (these are also often labeled to increase readability). The atlas does an excellent job of catering to a large set of users – those who are more adept at map reading can view contour lines and find hiking trails and recreational spots, while the simple driving way-finder can easily interpret road directions.
Guide Map – Walking tour of a neighborhood in Barcelona
Citation: Feriche Black. “Gothic Walk.” In A Weird and Wonderful Guide to Barcelona. Barcelona: LE COOL PUBLISHING S.L., 2006. p (unknown)
http://www.lecoolbook.com/barcelona.html (picture 8 of 10)
Keywords: Guidebook, Thematic Map, Tour, Snap Shot, Portable Object. Page in Book, Primary Sources, GIS, Graphic Software, Planimetric, Shape, Toponyms, Area Reference Symbols, Photographic Refernce Symbols, Flow Vectors
The purpose of this guidebook is to provide the information that a “cool” best friend would supply you with if you were visiting their city. It is a small book that can be carried with you as you walk around the city of Barcelona. The map I chose illustrates a walk through a specific neighborhood. It is a plan of the neighborhood with the building footprints shown in black, preserving the shape of the buildings and the spaces between them. The streets are shown in white as negative space. Major streets and plazas are labeled as reference points. There is a red arrow that delineates a path through the neighborhoods that is adorned with numbers. The numbers refer to an image and text in the layout of the map that describe an attraction at the location of the number. There is a figure ground created by the abstraction of the water to the south and abstracted city blocks to the West, North, and East.
I think that the minimal color palate and abstracted forms of the buildings address the perceptual constraints of the target audience because it enables an unfamiliar traveler to understand the spatial qualities of the neighborhood. Additionally, the numbered “stops” with corresponding photographs and information to the specific sites make the neighborhood walking tour also a destination guide. These complimentary identities of the map directly address the goals of a target audience in a city.
Red River Gorge: Rock Climbs
Ellington, Michelle (2007). Red River Gorge: Rock Climbs. 2nd Edition. Silt, CO: Wolverine Publishing. Inside Cover.
Keywords:
Reference map, tour, snap shot, portable object, fold-out map, primary sources, graphics software, GIS, planimetric, preserves direction/distance/area/shape/scale, toponyms, point reference symbols, line reference symbols, area reference symbols, fiat boundaries.
Discussion:
The target audience for the maps of this guidebook is rock climbers within the Red River Gorge in eastern Kentucky. Larger locator maps fill the inside covers of the guidebook to depict the full extent of rock climbing areas across the gorge. Larger-scale maps help direct climbers within sub-regions of the gorge to the various “crags” of rock climbing routes. The book itself is an ideal size—small enough to be easily packed and brought climbing, yet large enough that the maps are able to contain an adequate level of detail.
The locator map for the greater Red River Gorge region fills is printed as a fold out inside the front and back covers of the guidebook. Having personally used it countless times to get to crags throughout the Red, I think the map is very effective at clearly conveying information relevant to the climbers using it. All major roads are shown clearly, but in such a fashion that they do not dominate the map. In addition, only minor roads necessary to get to particular climbing areas are included so as not to clutter the map with irrelevant information.
Major areas are categorized by color according to land ownership, ranging from Federal Wilderness to the Red River Gorge Climber’s Coalition-owned PMRP. This is particularly relevant to climbers, as each land ownership zone has particular climbing regulations. In addition, the climbing sub-regions are outlined with a dotted line with page references to their specific portion of the book. Some particularly popular crags are shown on the map as points so that climbers can find their way to these areas without having to consult a separate sub-region map. Lastly, several local businesses friendly to climbers, from Miguel’s Pizza and Camping to the Beer Trailer, are shown as points on the map to further facilitate climbing trip planning.
Citation: Green Mountain Club. 50 Hikes in Vermont, 5th Ed. Backcountry Publications, Woodstock Vermont, 1997.
Keywords: Reference map, hiking, guidebook, manipulable object, snapshot, portable object, pages, small figure on a page, secondary sources, graphics software, planimetric, distance, direction, area, scale, shape, route, contours, shaded relief, flow vectors,
Discussion: This guide is intended to provide a comprehensive trip planning resource to short-distance recreational and medium-distance weekend backpackers. The map is organized into pre-planned hiking routes, with comprehensive information about driving directions, trailhead location and access and parking, “approximate distance and hiking time, vertical rise, difficulty rating, and [a] map that illustrates the area” provided in each section. Given the differing experience levels of its intended users, the map offers a range of map and graphic types. Many hike sections (especially the longer, weekend hikes) include both detailed area topographic maps, and simpler symbolic maps that explain topological relationships between trails, roads and major features without the more complex information offered on the area maps. Several images, often of peaks or landscapes offer visual information from ground level. The symbols used to provide directional information on the map are relatively intuitive, however, the width and heavy weight of trail lines often distorts the actual location of a trail bed. The topographic base maps are frequently faded out to a degree that allows trail location, boundaries, roads and labels to appear overly emphasized, requiring a hiker to squint at the contour lines or elevation markers if more detailed information is required. Because the topographic base maps are primarily lifted from USGS quads, at times important labels for towns, mountains and park boundaries are only partially visible at map boundaries, a major flaw given their intended use. Related text, however, seems to provide good directions and useful descriptions of trail surroundings (including forest type, vegetation cover, major features, etc) as well as route difficulty. The guidebook itself is light enough to be taken on day and even weekend hikes, but is a larger page format than is normally acceptable for use extended use in the backcountry.
DeLorme. Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer. 11th Edition, 2nd Printing. Vermont: Lane Press, Inc. 72.
Keywords: reference map, manipulable object, snapshot, portable object, large atlas, graphic software, planimetric, toponyms, point , line, area reference systems, contours, shaded relief
This gazetteer is more of an atlas than a guidebook, but it provides information on the Long Trail and other hikes, campgrounds, hunting, fishing, gardens, museums, skiing, paddling, golf courses, bicycle routes as well as the important roads, highways, rivers, and railroads. All of the state lands and national lands are listed at the front with comments such as “Ball Mountain Lake, Jamaica, VT: 75-acre lake on West River provides fishing for smallmouth bass; river offers Atlantic salmon and brown trout. Small beach” (10). There is even information on covered bridges and maple sugarhouses. These searches at the beginning are easy to use, for fishing you can even look up by type of fish you want to catch (an incredible thing seeing as I have never used this gazetteer for anything more than an occasional road name or turn). As a road map it seems easy to follow and read, though I found it interesting that it does not include the Rutland Train Station (a place that a GPS did failed me on) which could be an important place of coming or going to Vermont, especially from New York. It also does not label the White River Junction Bus Station, an important station when coming from the Boston area. This shows that this map functions only for those with cars when coming into Vermont and as a way to get to and from their points of interest, and little else. Locating a restaurant or hotel is not going to happen without the street address and even then it would require driving down the road and reading the street numbers to find it. Other than these problems, the gazetteer fulfills its purpose of providing detailed topographic maps of “outdoor recreation, places to go and things to do” as well as advertising its connection with the Delorme GPS which WILL tell you street numbers and help find restaurants.
Citation: Simonis, Damien.Morocco, a Lonely Planet travel survival kit / Damien Simonis, Geoff Crowther. Hawthorn, Vic. ; Oakland, Ca. : Lonely Planet Publications, 1995.
Keywords: Reference map, manipulable object, portable object, small figure on a page, primary sources, secondary source, graphics software, planimetric, area, shape, direction, toponyms, point reference symbols, line reference symbols, area reference symbols, architectural sections.
The Lonely Planet Guide Books were designed for an audience with no previous experience in the selected country. While this particular guidebook of Morocco tends to be heavy on text, it does include a number of city and regional maps to provide context and reference. Each map is supported by orientation text and linked to features of interest such as places to eat, stay and see. These selected locations are numerically linked to both the text and a toponymic key. The representation system is clear and accessibly enumerated at the beginning of the book, and object itself is small and light enough to fit into a daypack (though rather conspicuous in a Moroccan souk).
As a tourist reference tool, this Lonely Planet Guidebook is excellent tool. Sites are reviewed, described and priced; and directions are often provided. That said, having been to Morocco I would criticize the usefulness of the included maps. Most assume the reader has arrived in the city at an easy access point, when in reality the cities themselves are very difficult to maneuver and to travel between. This information is provided, but the maps are misleading because they make the cities appear simple in layout and design. This guidebook is best used as a source of information about a place, and perhaps as a route creating as opposed to a route finding tool.
Griswold, Whit. Berskshire Trails : For Walking and Ski Touring. Charlotte, North Carolina: The East Woods Press, 1979.
Keywords: Reference Map, Snapshot, Tour, Portable Object, Berkshire Mountains, Small Figure on a page, Pen and ink, hiking guide, Toponym, Point Reference System, Contour Lines, isolines, fiat boundaries
The guide itself is small in size – 4.5×6 inches – and is easily portable for hikers however a bit constrictive due to the small size of the maps.
The main locator map focuses solely of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, which is clearly delineated from the neighboring states with thick, dashed gray lines. Furthermore, the individual towns are represented by thinner dashed lines that show their areal boundaries. Although a key is not present, the mapmaker has established a line classification system for roadways which is based on a hierarchy of sorts – with greater thickness corresponding to more frequently used roads. The locations of trails are plotted as encircled numbers which correspond to a list featured next to the locator map. The numbering system does not facilitate easy location because the mapmaker decided to chronologically list all of the “walking trails” before “ski touring trails” – thus the numbers do not follow a logical geographic flow on the map.
The individual hiking maps are limited in accuracy and efficacy since they are hand-drawn. Nevertheless, the cartographer has included precise contour lines, in increments of 100 feet, which can give a knowledgeable hiker an idea of the area’s topography. It seems that the hiking maps are meant more for people to navigate to the trailheads via automobiles than to use while actually hiking. Parking lots are clearly displayed and the supplementary text includes a lot of directional information. The maps use a sometimes confusing point reference system (on one map a square represents both a parking lot and cemetery) to which no key is provided. The last stylistic concern with the hiking maps is that it is almost impossible to differentiate natural and manmade features without reading the label – rivers and roads are represented by the same linear representation and typeface.
Citation: Pletcher, Larry. Hiking New Hampshire. Helena, MT: Falcon Publishing Inc, 1995.
Keywords: Reference, geographic, snap shot, portable object, guide, secondary sources, graphics software, planimetric, toponyms, point, line, and area reference symbols, bona fide boundaries.
Discussion: The guide is meant to be used by recreational hikers to plan and execute mostly day hikes on existing trails. It is not meant for serious backpackers or people planning to bushwhack off trail. Thus it displays information through a series of minimalistic maps with semantics that are more symbolic than indexed. The audience is not expected to understand complex topographic lines or be patient enough to sort through complex data. The main perceptual constraint is the size of the page; the book needed to be small enough to be easily thrown in a backpack for easy reference on a day trip. Further, the book is printed in black and white, a further constraint on the available variables. Scale varies from map to map. There is a main reference map on the first page with an outline of the state, 7 major cities and two highways as reference points, and numbers scattered across the map referring to the pages where the description and a closer map of related hike can be found. Though it could probably benefit from a few more reference points, this map is highly functional, and should serve the general purpose of helping potential hikers zero in on the part of the book they should be reading. The specific maps are scaled so as to show the full hike, including the road and trailhead, on a single page; the minimalistic map style, with cartoonish mountains representing peaks, gives hikers no idea about what the elevation gains on specific hikes would be, although some information is given in the body text. All in all, the maps in this guide will fufill the basic expectations of its target audience, day hikers, but will be of little use to other groups.
Adventure Cycling Association (2005). Northern Tier Section 11: Ticonderoga, NY to Bar Harbor, ME (map). Missoula: Adventure Cycling Association/Bikecentennial.
Key Words: reference map, tour, snap shot, portable object, fold-out map, unknown sources, graphics software, planimetric, toponyms, point reference symbols, line reference symbols, contours, hypsometric tints, cross-sections.
This map is part of a series specifically designed to provide bike tourists with a relatively safe network of routes around the country. This particular map is meant to guide people along a set route between Ticonderoga, NY and Bar Harbor, ME. It seems to achieve this goal well, though this makes it worthless for other uses.
The lightweight, 18”x26” design with landscape-oriented panels is ideal for bike touring. It folds to fit in a handlebar bag showing one 3”x8” panel. Each panel displays a 30-40 section of the route (equivalent to 2-4 hours of riding) with directions for both eastbound and westbound travel. An index map shows where each of the 13 map panels fits into the longer route. To conserve space, the map panels share a single legend, which is placed on the same panel as the index.
Each panel map includes a small inset map showing the same extent as the index, with only state lines, the route, and a box showing where that panel’s map fits. This inset shows where each map fits into the greater route without making the reader refer back to the index map. In conjunction with the north arrow, this aids in orientation, which is slightly difficult because not all panels are oriented with north up (to save space).
In order to aid in navigation, the map includes mileages between towns or major intersections along the route. Recognizing that bike tourists will need to find food and lodging, the map includes information on basic amenities along the route, with addresses and phone numbers in a “Service Directory” on the back side of the map. Additionally, the map allows riders to gauge the difficulty of their ride using an elevation map of the entire route, with each panel segment and major landmarks noted.
Citation:
Doan, Daniel. Fifty Hikes: Walks, Day Hikes, and Backpacking Trips in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Somersworth, NH: New Hampshire Publishing Co., 1977.
Keywords:
Reference map, geographic, snap shot, portable object, guidebook, secondary sources, graphics software, planimetric, toponyms, point, line, and area reference symbols, bona fide boundaries
Discussion:
This guidebook includes a brief description about the hikes presented in the book, the conditions to expect when hiking in the White Mountains (how to dress, flora and fauna, weather during each season). The book was put together by Daniel Doan, who wrote a lot about the White Mountains over the course of his life; but the book itself is meant to be accessible to people who haven’t hiked in the area before and the trails themselves are maintained mostly Forest Service or Appalachian Club, so are relatively easy to follow. The hikes Doan picked are intended as a survey of the different types of trails available in the White Mountains, from short nature walks to backpacking trips. The book would be a bit hefty to take on a hike, but the pages would be easy to photocopy and bring along.
His main locator map is simple to read but difficult to understand; that is, the map is on one sheet, then the title page separates the map and the page with the key, so you have to flip back and forth to read the map. The format of the book otherwise is that for each hike, there is a description (straight-forward and charmingly written) and a map. The descriptions actually seem like they might be easy to follow, unlike many other descriptions in other guidebooks, which invariably lead to confusion by hikers. The maps are too simple: no scale, no key, no sense of topography. The maps only show the trail, any streams or lakes, a symbol for a mountain’s summit, lean-tos, roads, and parking areas. I felt that the maps, though black and white and thus in need of simplification, would have really benefited from some indication of topography and most definitely from a scale bar for navigation purposes. I really wanted to like this guidebook because I enjoyed the descriptions so much, but this book needed some improvements.
Citation:
Stout, Marilyn (1995). Vermont Walks: Village and Countryside. First edition. Burlington, Vermont: Queen City Printers. 94 pages.
Key words:
Wayfollowing map, manipuable object, snap shot, portable object, watercolor, planimetric, guidebook
Discussion:
The book begins with a watercolor map of Vermont with all the towns in the work labeled. There aren’t any roads on this map, however, making it impossible to navigate between towns without the use of an additional map. The contents page facing opposite divides the labeled towns into three regions, Northern, Central, and Southern. This classification scheme is meaningless for the traveler on the border of one of these zones; divisions by counties would better represent the towns based on proximity.
Maps for each town are largely watercolor compositions and include dark main roads, dashed lines indicating the walking route, and a scenic portrait of the town in the background. A North arrow is often included, as are state route numbers. Many roads are unmarked, however, and some are simply labeled “dirt road” suggesting that if the user veered from the recommended path, finding their way back would be difficult. Locations of landmarks on the map are extremely rare, more likely to be described in written directions or seen as a background to the map.
The book’s size is appropriate for a walking tour, but in general it seems torn between a whimsical depiction of a country stroll and the rigid dashed lines that march users past local landmarks. Side roads are included but not labeled, and additional landmarks are referenced, but without a map of that specific town, the user would do well to stroll on the predetermined path. This seems against the spirit of “Vermont Walks,” and perhaps, as with the road-less state map, additional maps are assumed for navigation.
Flume Reservation. Recreational Chart of the White Mountains (map). No scale. Franconia Notch, NH: the Flume Reservation, 1931*.
*1931 is copyright date, print date is unknown.
Keywords: Reference map, geographic, long exposure, portable object, unknown object, pen and ink, planimetric, toponyms
This is a charming, small map (around 6”x9”) that can easily be folded up into its own matching envelope for portability. It is intended to direct motorists touring the White Mountain National Forest area of New Hampshire, indicating highways and points of interest. Designed in the early 1930s, the map meant to guide families or others making their way around New Hampshire in their automobiles for a day trip or vacation. The map would be unsuitable for water navigation or foot travel. The information provided by the map reflects the needs of users, indicating points of interest and fun historical facts about the region. The most prominent elements symbolized on the map are the Flume itself and the Old Man of the Mountains, but other points of interest range from the death place of Nathaniel Hawthorne to the location of the 1826 Wiley Slide to inclusions verging on the fantastical, for example, depictions of the hypothetical situations “Tired business man leaping from crag to crag” and “Prospective Ph.D. clearing trail” filling empty areas. Also included are typical wildlife and plants and the location and elevation of mountains. The chart titles itself “recreational,” and has entertainment value as well as a practical use, something travelers unfamiliar with the area could pick up at a store along the way. It is fairly small scale, and is accurate enough to be used for general highway navigation (it preserves the topological relations of features and the intersections of roads), but a more precise map might need to be consulted to navigate to the specific points of interest indicated on this map. The small size of the page means that features must be shown as far larger than they are, restricting the amount of information that can be shown on the map, but symbols can be intuitively understood.
Kelso, Nathaniel. “Where the Games Are” (map). No scale. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, 2006.
http://portfolio.kelsocartography.com/2006-a/turin_half_page.jpg.html?z&p=full-image. Accessed on 18 February 2010.
Keywords: reference map, tour, long exposure, portable object, map printed in newspaper, graphics software, point reference symbols, line reference symbols, shaded relief
This map about the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, published in the Washington Post, gives spatial information regarding the location of snow sports held in Alpine resorts to the west of the city. This map uses duo-chromatic symbols with silhouettes of each event to represent the locations where events occur (a silhouette of a snowboarder denotes the location of the halfpipe events, for example). Symbols are placed on a backdrop of the Alpine slopes, depicted 3-dimensionally, as viewed from lower on the mountains looking up.
This maps provides highly generalized information about the location of snow events. The symbols only denote in which cities events occur. This seems to fit with the map’s purpose: to provide general information regarding event locations to readers in the United States. This map is not attempting to provide specific information useful for navigating to and from the event locations.
This map assumes the audience’s familiarity with Olympic winter snow events, as it does not provide a legend for interpreting event symbols. For example, uninformed readers (such as myself) are not able to distinguish between the six icons depicting skiing events. I’m also unfamiliar with some of the other event icons. However, I don’t have access to the accompanying text printed with this map, which might include information to make these symbols more decipherable.
The scaling and orientation information provided by the map is also generalized, seemingly with the intent to create a more user-friendly map. The two locator maps–that give (i) a bird’s-eye-view of the area depicted three dimensionally from ground level in the main map and (ii) the location of Turin within Italy–use compass symbols. However, Kelso labels the respective map edges of the main map with the words “East,” “South,” “West,” and “North,” rather than using a compass, presumably to make the orientation of the eastward looking map more immediately apparent. Similarly, though the two locator maps use scalebars, the main map does not. Instead Kelso gives the respective distance of three different towns from Turin in miles. The given distance seems to be travelled distance, rather than linear distance, which seems a more useful measure of “space” between cities for spectators traveling between Olympic events.
Citation: “South America” (map). South American Handbook 2007. Bath, U.K.: Footprint, 2006. P. 2-3.
And “Chile” (map). South American Handbook 2007. Bath, U.K.: Footprint, 2006. P. 599.
Key words: reference map, geographic and tour, a snap shot, portable object, small figure on a page (guide book), unknown sources, graphics software, planimetric, distance, area, shape, toponyms, point reference symbols, line reference symbols, hypsometric tints, flat boundaries, networks
Discussion: The South American Handbook 2007 is a guidebook aimed at a wide audience from those looking to “explore the cities of prehispanic civilizations and the churches of colonial times” to those “looking for something more active.” (9). Although the book measures 5”x7”, it is about and inch and half wide and would be pretty hefty to carry around South America.
The first map, showing all of South America, has colored relief, showing elevation and visually dividing the continent into subregions. The map also shows the major highway network connecting the continent, somewhat emphasizing the difficulty of traveling through the heart of the continent. However, the map does not have easy reference to regional maps, one must refer to the table of contents to find where the map and description of Chile is located in the book.
The regional map of Chile shows cities and roads, but shows nothing in the surrounding countries. This is problematic because of the geography of Chile, being a long narrow country, it is likely that the audience will be traveling to Argentina in the same trip and there is little detail in this map about how to get to Argentina. Aside from numbered “don’t miss” sites, there is little detail to describe the points of interest in the country. Most of the maps in the following section show cities, with little information on how to get between those cities, there are only two regional maps in the 160 page section. The hierarchy of text on the Chile map doesn’t make sense; Santiago is the same font as Argentina, although slightly smaller, and Coyhaique stands out in larger, bolder font than the other cities of equal (or greater) size and importance.
Citation:
Franko’s Maps. “Franko’s Guide Map of Santa Catalina Island” (map). http://frankosmaps.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_code=F&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Frankos-Map-of-Santa-Catalina-Island. Accessed on 18 February 2010
Key Words: Catalina Island, recreation, recreational map, multiple purposes, overloaded, diving, kayaking, hiking, interface, aquatic, laminated, terrestrial, amenities, modality, tourist, leisure, neutralize dangers
Franko’s Guide Map of Santa Catalina Island is perhaps one of the most popular tourist maps of the California island that is located 26 miles of the coast of Los Angeles. Franko states that the map is a “Recreational map for divers, kayakers, campers, hikers, mountain bikers, boaters, tourists, and everyone who loves SANTA CATALINA ISLAND”. The real purpose of the map is to make money for Franko. For all intensive purposes it does, and this map is a standard item at gift stores and outfitters throughout the island. It tries to include as much information as possible, while maintaining garish colors, photographs, and illustrations of fish, whales, and bison in order for it to grab shopper’s attention.
The map is beleaguered by its multiple purposes and by its difficulty to organize and place its text based explanation of dive sites. It does not make efficient use of its paper space, nor does it make any effort to be nuanced or understated in its use of colors or graphics. Nevertheless the concept behind the map does hold merit given its targeted audience. Catalina attracts primarily single day visitors, kayakers, or scuba divers and the map provides an effective interface between aquatic activities and terrestrial features. A justified hierarchy of interest when visiting the island is where is the best place to scuba or snorkel and how do I get there. It provides the basic terrestrial amenities and transportation network that would facilitate a leisurely visit. It is also unashamedly directed at tourists and provides key landmarks and places to visit in town through an inset map. Roads and trails are coded by their modality. It is sold laminated and is 14″ x 21″—a size that does not work well for hiking, but excellent for use on a boat or at the beach. Its most problematic feature is that it tends to neutralize dangers in certain areas, by according leisure tourist stature to some more difficult places to reach with potentially dangerous current.
National Park Service. Backcountry Use Area Map. (map) 1inch=4miles. http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/maps.htm. Accessed on February 16, 2010.
Key Words: Reference Map, tour, snapshot, Portable Object, Fold out map/small figure on a page, Graphics Software, GIS, Direction, Distance, Toponyms, Point and Line Reference, Shaded Relief, flat boundaries, flow vectors
This map is for backcountry campers to locate campsites, use area, and boundaries. The map contains the trail networks, roads to access trailheads, campsites, pit toilets, ranger stations, and the boundaries to camp.
If one is to be planning a backcountry camping trip, knowing distance is critical. The problem with this map is that while the trails are marked and fairly easy to read, it is a flat projection on a shaded relief, meaning that using the scale bar is impossible, because the change in elevation isn’t accounted for. The scale bar can’t be used. There is even a disclaimer stating that the scale bar must not be used to determine distance on trails. The campsites aren’t labeled with proper names, which can be confusing to the hiker once arriving at a campsite. One of the purposes of the map is to show boundaries. Boundaries are included with labeled numbers, but a definition of a boundary is not defined. Inserting the counters may appear too cluttered, but knowing the change in elevation is beneficial, especially for backpackers wanting to spend several days in the park and want to plan accordingly. Without the contours, the Colorado River, which is the bottom of the canyon, appears very close to the South Rim Visitors Center, but the change in actual elevation is dramatic. The map is deceiving.
The map functions well for people arriving at the trailheads or the visitors’ center who want to get an idea of how many campsites and camping services there are once within the boundaries. The map is not intended to be used for route finding, and detailed planning, the description of this should be made bold to make clear to the map reader.
Citation:
Springmayer, Dane (Fall 2001). Spirit in Nature: Interfaith Path Sanctuary Ripton, VT(map). Middlebury College.
Key Words:
Visitor and Recreation, tour, snapshot, portable object, fold-out map, primary sources, reliable source (ES 401 students), GIS, planimetric, distance and direction, toponyms, bona fide boundaries.
In this map for the Spirit of Nature Pathways (Ripton, VT), the path names coincide with the trails. There is no font distinction among the “faith paths” though they do differ among the rivers and brooks, roads, and paths. The original map was printed in color but this portable map, in black and white, has lost one of the map’s most salient features: the paths are now indistinguishable without variations in color and require the path names. The legend includes walking times and lengths, but it is unclear if those times and distances are from the parking lot or the start of the path (Note: in the “spirit” of this map, time for reflection must be included in the walking time as they show it taking 45 minutes to walk ¼ mile on the Christian path). The map is portable so the walker it can be used on the paths. A Perceptual constraint that limits the user’s ability to judge the difficulty of each path is the lack of any topographic properties such as contours or shaded relief; this is an area where the map could most drastically improve. The scale of the map works well in that long paths are represented proportionally and are accurately related to rivers and streams, so the viewer can choose a path based on desired views of water or woods.
Citation:
Meyers, Jeff. The Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail: 2000 Guidebook and Stewardship Manual. Burlingtn, VT: Lake Champlain Committee, 2000.
Keywords:
Reference map, manipulable object, snap shot, portable object, small figure on a page, primary and secondary sources, GIS/GS, planimetric, distance/direction/shape preserved, toponyms, point reference symbols, line reference symbols, contours, fiat boundaries,
Discussion:
The guidebook provides a thorough textual review of lake history, paddling safety, packing lists, and launch descriptions but offers little in the way of quality spatial images. The first map featured in the guidebook, a map of the entire lake basin, provides no information on how to access the lake (roads, launches, trails, etc). Additionally, the illustration of only the watershed provides little geographical reference for paddlers living outside the lake basin. Furthermore, the map provides no information to help paddlers decide which portion of the lake to visit as the lake is represented uniformly across its extent with no attempt to differentiate between regions of differing interest.
The second map in the guidebook illustrates the camping checkpoints along the established water trail but is limited by the exclusion of land features for reference and utilization of overly large checkpoints. These exaggerated check points obscure shore features thereby reducing the resolution of camp placement and limiting the ability of the reader to easily determine camp locations. Again, there are no road features to help the user access entry points and there is no indication of land use type to highlight the natural areas suitable for camping. The inclusion of the rivers layer could be beneficial if the rivers are accessible by kayak but the point labels obscure the river features rendering them incomplete.
The subregion maps are dangerously inadequate as they provide no scale bar for the estimation of distance, which represents a tremendous safety issue. The subregion maps also require a locator map in order to facilitate the navigation of advanced paddlers out of the featured subregions. These paddlers will want to see the lake holistically for better trip planning. Finally, the roads and launch points featured in this map are obscured by poor symbolic representation and unnecessary contour lines.
Citation:
Gene Daniell and Jon Burroughs, eds. (1998). White Mountain Guide (guide book). 26th Edition. Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club.
Key Words:
Reference map, geographic, a snap shot, portable object, fold-out maps, book, primary sources, secondary sources, GIS, Graphics software, text, planimetric, scale, distance, direction, toponyms (place names), point reference symbols, line reference symbols, contours, land use maps, land cover maps, bona fide boundaries
Discussion:
The White Mountain Guide is a reference book on the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine. This guidebook is meant to be brought with hikers and includes maps of all the regions and detailed descriptions of trails, natural and built features, and guidelines. The first edition of this guidebook was published in 1907 making this edition very reliable because of the editing process it has gone through. Six maps are included in the book and specifically say the maps are meant to be used alongside the text. The small dimensions of the book allow it to fit easily in the top compartment of a hiking backpack where it is accessible. Also included is blank accident report pages so hikers can more easily deal with medical emergencies in the backcountry by reporting problems efficiently. One of the constraints of this guidebook is the amount of maps they could include in the back while still covering the whole forest. They chose to have six maps on three fold-out sheets. The scale of the maps is thus 1:95000 compared to standard USGS topographic maps that have a scale of 1:24000. The scale makes the maps harder to read and therefore the maps need to be accompanied by text. However, the maps are still very easy to read because roads, trails, features, and camping areas are labeled very well. This book is very helpful in planning trips, but for multi-day hikes I think it would be better to bring maps with a larger scale and leave the guidebook at home to avoid following written instructions on how to follow the trail.
Guide Map – The World Atlas of Wine
Citation: Johnson, Hugh. “Bordeaux.” In The World Atlas of Wine. New York: Simon
and Schuster, 1978. p. 80
Johnson, Hugh. “St-Estèphe.” In The World Atlas of Wine. New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1978. p. 85.
Key Words: Guidebook, Atlas, Wine, Thematic Map, Geographic, Tour, (somewhat) Portable Object, Page in a Book, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, GIS, Shape, Area, Toponyms, Point reference symbols, Line reference symbols, area reference symbols, contours, shaded relief, land use, fuzzy boundaries, bona fide boundaries
Discussion:
The World Atlas of Wine is a large book with many different maps and lots of text (history, stories, and descriptions of different regions) that is not easily portable. This guidebook would be best for a wine connoisseur doing preliminary research before a trip to a wine region. There are a couple of world maps that use text to show the distribution of vineyards and wine consumption that aides the reader in deciding where to go. There are also a series of maps that go from showing the distribution of vineyards across the chosen country and shows the types of wine produced in each region, which further helps the reader decide where to go. Additional, portable maps for the physical trip would be necessary.
The representation system is clear; this (map of the Bordeaux region) is a qualitative map that differentiates colors for different wines in a region. Major roads and cities are present which gives a rough idea of how to get to a specific wine area. Maps are not cluttered since the atlas relies on a series of maps to make decisions. The most specific, city-level maps use the same visual hierarchy to show the different class of wines (all caps for the highest, with lower case and smaller typeface for lower quality) and show contour lines. These maps also use a qualitative color scheme to distinguish between vineyard and non-vineyard land.
Scaling relation is not a major issue for these maps since the atlas shows more regional information.