ENG 314-001

http://www.stolasgeospatial.com/seinfeld.htm

The purpose of the Geography of Seinfeld Map is to chart various locations from the 1990s sitcom, Seinfeld, giving its viewer an idea of where the fictional characters had traveled throughout the show, and where the various locations were shot.

This map is directed at people familiar with Seinfeld and the show’s plots. The text included on the map avoids explanatory writing, and it seems that the authors of the map expect their audience to have seen the show before, and to be able to recall events throughout the show’s history.

The larger context of this map is that it is based on a show that’s produced a new episode for nearly 12 years. Because of this, the Geography of Seinfeld could be more effective if they took full advantage of their medium, a layered Google map, and used more communication strategies. Currently, it appears that there is no organization to the points other than location. Instead of a list of random locations, the map would benefit if it were arranged chronologically, so that the viewer could find the points in the order they occurred on the air. Also, instead of only listing a summary of the location, the map could include information like when the episode aired, what season it’s from, and whether the point is fictional or not. Using the medium of Google maps, it would also be easy to post a video clip or still of the location in its episode, helping those who haven't seen the point being described since 1998.

http://www.ubasics.com/dighole/

As a child, I did believe that if you dig a hole in the ground deep enough, you would end up on the other side of the world. The purpose of this map is for one to be able to pin-point where they would end up if they dug a hole through to earth to the other side. The old saying is that you would end up in China, but the map proves that statement to be false.

The intended audience is children and adults. This is evident because the map is easy to read and interactive in a way that would be interesting for both parties. The creator of the map made it simple so the information would not be misconstrued. They needed to learn how people would want to read the map, and if viewers would actually enjoy learning where they would end up if they dug a hole to the other side of the earth. Also, the communication strategy that was used was the simple question and answer approach. Above the map it simply states:
Q: What happens if you dig straight down?
A: You'll pop out the other side of the world.

Q: What's on the other side of the world?
A: Ummm... China!
A brief explanation is then given for the reader and clear instructions on how to use the map follows. This strategy is effective because the information is laid out in a very organized manner.

The creator obviously though about the medium used because the spacing of paragraphs and arrangement of the maps are user-friendly and easy to understand. I clicked on the first map to find out where I would end up if I dug straight down from North Carolina, and I found myself in the ocean near Australia. I used to believe that I would end up in China, but now I know that is not the case, thanks to this map.

http://keirclarke.googlepages.com/seaworld.htm

Purpose: The purpose of this map is to help visitors who come to Seaworld know their surroundings better and to get around easier. They have made the map very detailed and it seems very useful to anyone who plans to use it. In making this map, I think the designers wanted to achieve making it easier for visitors and give them a heads up on what there is to do in the park.

Audience: The audience is obviously family members and anybody who plans to travel and visit Seaworld. From this map, the audience should recieve information on the location of the different things to do throughout the park.

Context: The best way to put together a map like this is to go to the location and get information first hand. It's important that the locations and information are accurate so that the visitors and others using this map are not confused by what they see or by what they are reading.

Strategies: The communication stragies in this map are quite simple. Since the map is geared towards all ages of people (from teens to adults) the information is easy to read. It is also very clear and easy for one to understand what the designer is saying.

The Medium of Communication: I think the best medium of communication to use here is good wording and photos. Since it's a family park I believe it's important to show off some of the locations and acts they may see while visiting. That may bring more people to the park.

Arrangement: The arrangment in this map was very simple and real. It wasn't completed to try and follow and it's easy to read.

http://www.ubasics.com/dighole/

The purpose of the "If you dig straight down, where will you end up?" map is to show children, as well as adults, that the old saying of "If you dig straight down, you'll end up in China" isn't true, most of the time. It a map meant to educate and dissprove an old theory.

According to some text above the map, the audience for the "If you dig" map is children and adults and anyone who's ever been told that if you keep digging, you'll end up in China.

The context of this map is basically two plain maps of the world. Nothing is marked, except one marker in the U.S., so I'm assuming the creator was an American. You can click on any part of the world, however. There is some text above the map, explaining its use and purpose, and how to actually use the maps.

The strategy of this map was to make it user-friendly. They could have stated in a graph or through text that if you dig straight down from North Carolina you'll end up in an ocean, but it's more effective if the user sees for himself where you'll end up if you dig straight down.

The medium of this map was a Google map publicly listed on the internet. They used a map, because it was the best way to show what they were trying to prove, "Where will you end up if you dig straight down." They put it publicly on the internet because that's the best way to reach a lot of people around the world.

The map is arranged with two Google maps on top of each other. If you click on one, it shows where you'll end up if you dig straight down. This was a very effective and easy way to show what could have very easily become a complicated map.

1. http://beta.twittervision.com/

2. Purpose: This map's purpose is to show twitter posts immediately as they occur around the world. The map does not translate the languages the posts occur in, and it includes a link to each twitter-er's blog.
Audience: This map's audience is vast. It most likely targets twitter fans, but could also be geared towards Google Map fans. The map targets its Twitter audience well by including the link to each twitter-er's blog, and displaying their icon when their tweet pops up on the map. Google Map fans would be interested because this map is very dynamic; the map display moves vertically and hortizontally across the globe as tweets display across the hemispheres. When I viewed this map, however, I expected to see the twitter bird, and it was very difficult to see him.
Context: Because the Twitter Map is continous, each time you view it will be a different experience. There are some gliches with this type of constant media streaming; it did occur on one occasion that the map seemed to become "stuck" on a tweet, and didn't move on to the next post. In this instance, the viewer would have to refresh the map to continue getting consistant tweets.
Strategies, Medium and Arrangement : I like the fact that on this map the creator attempted to include the Twitter bird, even though you only can see his feet on most posts. It is a good strategy because it reminds the viewer of the maps purpose. The medium for this map works well because it moves according to the location of each tweet. However, due to the rapid posting of each tweet, it is difficult to track where they are occuring. There are no place names on the map besides the oceans and seas, and the map itself compared to the size of the tweets seems far away. It might be better if one tweet posted, and as another displayed, the previous one faded slightly but didn't immediately dissapear until a few seconds later. This would also require the viewer to have the ability to scroll across the map at leisure.

www.360cities.net

The purpose of 360cities.net is to "host, commission and develop the largest and fastest-growing collection of immersive, panoramic images on the web," all accessible through an interactive, layered Google map. One can easily drag around and zoom in to the map to reveal thousands of different 360-degree panoramic images taken in famous or interesting locations all over the world. The main audience for these panoramas is anyone with the urge to explore the world, which is nearly everybody. More specific potential audiences of this data are lovers of travel and photography. The context of their communicative situation is being handled appropriately, as the site states that new 360 panoramas are being uploaded to the map often. Also, the site offers an online community for 360-degree photographers to submit and discuss their work. The site realizes that its visitors are people who like exploring and entices its visitors to being browsing its map, a strategy apparent in the text linking to the map, which states, "[Click here to] explore the world in 3D." A map is the essential medium to present this information, as it allows users to easily find 360 panoramic images of areas that they are currently interested in, whether it be their hometown or a city to which they wish to travel. The arrangement of the site could not be more fulfilling for the digital explorer. The layout is intuitive and allows for easy location of interesting sites. Upon clicking a pin of a specific location on the map, the 360-degree panoramas expands to the size of the entire map. The site even offers a "full-screen" option for each panorama on the map, a feature I found to make exploring the world even more enjoyable. Overall, 360cities.net is a well designed, information rich Google map and apparently Google agrees as 360cities is one of the biggest components of their popular application, Google Earth.

http://habitatmap.org/markers?colors=0_3_1&lat=40.705705&lng=-73.978195&maps=212_213_192&nogrp=1&t=terrain&z=10

Purpose: The purpose of this map is to inform the citizens of New York exactly where the water (and waste) in their toilet goes when they flush it. It’s not an imperative purpose, but more for entertainment, or to satisfy someone’s curiosity.

Audience: The audience for this type of a map is the citizens that live in the specific areas. They can type in their address to see what color “zone” they are in, and then after looking at the marker key establish where their toilet water goes.

Context: The audience for this map isn’t necessarily meeting with the creators, like they do in “Walter’s story.” Instead they may stumble upon it on the web, or if they actually search for that topic (which would be strange) they would find it. They can then interact by adding markers on the map or sharing it with others.

Strategies: Easily being able to read and understand the map, and easily being able to find it are key strategies of the creator. The different colored zones are easy to distinguish and the key is easy to follow. Also, it’s on GoogleMapsMania, which is a pretty popular website that gets a lot of hits. So, by either going there or just simply Goggling it, the map can be found.

Medium: The way the information is presented is easy to understand and follow, so its medium is user-friendly. The viewers expect it to be easy, or they would just search somewhere else. Also, Google maps are becoming more and more popular so presenting information through them is a good way to go.

Arrangement: There are three different types of “maps” you can view, either all three at once, two at a time, or just one. The way things are arranged is completely up to the viewer. Without making any changes, the map comes with all three clicked (Sewage Treatment facilities, Sewagesheds, and Tier 1 Combined Sewer Overflow Outfalls).

Youth Hostels Map

The Youth Hostel Association of the UK created this map to show the locations of youth hostels throughout the various regions of the UK. Their purpose is to make inexpensive travelling easier for the UK traveler by showing all hostel locations next to eachother for an easy comparison of services and prices.

This series of maps is geared toward youth travellers interested in visiting the UK on a lower budget. It's easy accessiblity makes it a primary source for young travellers and, potentially, their parents when planning a trip to the UK. It is also geared to travellers with less experience because it provides quick comparisons between the different hostel choices, making decisions more reliable.

The website offers a list of the different regions of the UK to choose from. Each region links to it's corresponding map which shows by pinpoint the locations of the youth hostels in the area. Once clicked, each point displays a photo, address, price range and contact information. It also provides a link to more information about the hostel from the YHA website and a link to the hostel's website.

This website employs simple strategies. It lists out the different regions, making it easier for the user to navigate the website. Rather than show all the hostels of the country on one jumbled map, the website breaks it down for the user – a clever strategy. Then it provides a close-up, easy-to-read map with each hostel clearly marked. These strategies allow for a quick and simple experience, appealing to both youth and older generations.

This website has embedded the Google Map application directly into their hostel-search page. This medium allows the user to easily navigate between the map and the YHA webpage.

This website is organized with the different regions of the UK listed on the left-hand side of the page. To the right of the list, the map of the selected region is displayed below a brief summary and photo of the area. Below the map is a list of the hostels which are shown on the map – making it a user-friendly and understandable arrangement.

ghostlogs.com

The purpose of this map is to show the different areas that have had ghost sightings throughout the world. The map shows apparitions, orbs, EVP, vortex, angels, demons, shadow ghost, and poltergeist. This map shows the various locations, and shows which type of ghost was found in that particular location.
The audience for this particular map is varied. It can be used for humor purposes, or it could be given to someone who is trying to see what types of supernatural beings have been observed in certain areas. It is also used to track and follow supernatural activity.
This map is moving and changing because new sightings can be added or decided upon as they appear. It is possible for the information to change and grow and expand. It marks places outside the US but, not as many as it does in the United States. I’m not sure if this map is a completely accurate representation.
The strategies used in the map are to point out separate types of supernatural activities within the world. There are different markers that indicate which particular medium is being spotted. It is easy to read and find the separate types of activity.
The mediums within this map are different colored markers that show various ghost locations. It is easy to read and is located on a basic world map that can be changed and arranged differently according to updates.
The arrangement was simple as well; the map could be zoomed in and out to notice patterns within the map itself. It was a single map that did not process a lot of information, but was spread over a wide area.

http://earthquakes.tafoni.net/

The purpose of this map is to show earthquakes, both major and minor, that have occured within the past week. You can even find more information about the earthquakes magnitude, as well as other facts about the earthquakes. There is also an option where you can say if you felt an earthquake or not, if you live in or near the area where it occured. It is basically a map of the world with markers indicating where recent quakes occured, both in land and in the ocean.

The audience of this map could vary widely from scientists or teachers interested in looking up recent earthquakes quickly, either for personal interest or to show students. It could also be used by journalists to learn more about the details of a particular earthquake, so that they can write a more detailed story. Students could also use it to research areas that have a lot of earthquakes for projects and various class assignments.

This map is very easy to use, making it accesible to anyone with basic understanding of how to use a google map. This makes it a good tool for people who are interested in natural disaters, such as earthquakes, to use this map and to know what earthquake activity is like without having to be experts.

http://www.ghostlogs.com/news.php?7.6.5

Ghost Logs Map main purpose is to inform, enlighten and amuse- for those "non-believers" about certain ghost sites, or haunted locations on a small map for each specific spot. The sites maps range from Kentucky to Munich, Germany. People visiting the site are also allowed to sign up and post comments about each place they have visited to add a little more spookiness to the surreal idea of paranormal activity throughout the world.

The audience includes: male and female, old and young, from all corners of the globe, who share a belief in haunted houses, and ghosts stuck here on Earth. I think the audience could even possibly be expanded to those who may not believe in ghosts, but who are interested in entertaining the possibility. With all of the Blockbuster hits on alien and paranormal subjects, these maps prove to be a pretty interesting idea.

The site has a decent form of communication strategies. Not only is their a single writer per ghost area. But there is a long list of blogs where people are able to comment on trips to the places and share their own personal "other world" experiences of places that have not been included on the map, which is a very helpful tool for this kind of site.

The medium of communication is everything but oral communication. The site includes a brief summary by the other of each haunted location, a map with clearly labeled sites of the hauntings, as well as an interactive way for visitors of the site to comment and blog about what they like, dislike, or add any extra insight on a specific location.

1. http://www.aworldofnirvana.com

2. The website A World of Nirvana gives different locations that were important to the band that specific year. The website explains that it is a “tribute to Kurt Cobain, in memory of his death.” There are also YouTube videos incorporated that are relevant to the band.
a. Purpose: To provide the audience with key places pertaining to the band like Kurt Cobain’s birthplace, different recording studios and various concert locations including links to videos from the concert.
b. Audience: This website could be interesting to either men or women of any age, who are most likely fans of the band Nirvana.
c. Context: The context of the map could have included a few more interesting little facts that fans may find interesting and entertaining, not just a list of places the band toured. The creators could have done a little more research in order to make their map more interesting.
d. Strategies: The communication strategies throughout this website are simple. The map clearly states the maps uses, and it is fairly obvious as to who this map is a directed to- Nirvana fans.
e. Medium: The website’s medium does a good job in achieving the 90’s feel and simplicity. It could be a little updated in a technological sense, making it easier to access the YouTube videos that are connected to the concert venues, and it could use better descriptions.
f. Arrangement: The arrangement and navigation throughout the website is simple, clear and easy to use. The website does exactly what it is intended to do.

http://beta.twittervision.com/

This is a global scale map that shows the location of the latest tweets. It seems to run itself and it really seems a bit shaky. Although I do not use Twitter I found that this map was pretty interesting, and with the right application could be used for wide spread media.

Context: would be for the global community wanting to see what the rest of the world is up to, although this is a little difficult because the shift is so quick.

Purpose: can cover wide variety of things, ranging from overseas friends to keeping tabs on the latest events for a news network. If the program could be focused a little more on a specific region, such as Iran, you could pin point locations of the latest news. The picture feature is neat but it seems to rapidly change or fade to fast, when I used it, giving the impression of brief control.

Audience: anyone who uses Twitter and the general interested public. The general media could tap into this once this map gets out of its beta stages. Just needs a little more UI tweaking.

Overall an interesting map that needs some work, more control and specific areas , the wide spread focus is a little hard to manage.

http://www.signalmap.com/map/map

The purpose of this map is to identify areas across the world that provide the best cell phone service. It allows you to zoom in on any place in the world and determine whether or not you will be able to receive cell phone reception, and even how many bars of service you will have depending on your service provider.

The audience for this map is anyone who is interested in learning about where the best cell phone service can be found. It could also be someone checking to see if he or she will have service when going to a certain location.

Since cell phone use is extremely popular today it can be helpful to know where you will or won't have service. The map also allows you to add new service locations or non-service areas to expand the information that the map provides.

The map uses different colors and icons to represent the different cell phone service providers, which makes it useful to anyone who has a cell phone. Instead of limiting the audience to customers of one company, the map is useful to anyone.

The data in the map is arranged so that viewers can see the amount of service in a given area by the amount of service bars in the icon. If a skull is the icon for a location, then there is no service in that area. Different colors represent different companies, which makes viewing extremely simple.

http://www.immigrantconnect.org/

Purpose: The purpose of this map is to show immigrants that there are other people around the world who are in similar situations that they are in. It shares immigrant's personal stories and news stories about immigration.

Audience: This map has a very specific audience - it's geared towards immigrants. It's meant to show them that they aren't/don't have to be isolated or insecure.

Context: This Google map is a map of the world with markers popping up everywhere to show the experiences that have been published. The map is labeled as a "Story Locator".

Strategies: All the stories are indentified by markers indicating where they took place, or where the immigrant came from or ended up. When you hold your mouse over the markers, the text box that pops up will allow you to see a brief summary of what the immigrant's experience was and then if you click, you'll get the full story.

Medium: As far as I have seen, this map seems to only use text. Although, if you click to read a full story and scroll down, there are related stories and corresponding images.

Arrangement: This map is set up very clearly and simply. The audience can see the map of the world and the markers indicate where the stories take place. The markers act as links if the reader is interested in seeing more than just the subject of the story.

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http://www.mibazaar.com/fortune/fortune100.html

The purpose of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for in 2008 is to show people the best companies to work for and the ranking form 1-100 that they receive. They show where the company is located, the number of employees and why it is one of the best companies to work for.

The audience for this map can be anybody that has a job, is looking for a job or is just interested in the best place to work. The map does a good job of informing the audience of why the company is a good one to work for. They also limited it to Fortune 100 companies so most are major business that most people have heard of before.

The context of the map is pretty basic with markers that have the companies rank on it. When you click on the marker, you see the name of the company, the location and the number of employees. The name of the company is also hyperlinked so once you click on it brings you to a different page that describes why they are one of the best companies to work for.

I think that the strategy of the map was to simply show Americans the best places to work. I believe that it is for Americans because the map only displays a map of the United States. It is a simple format that is easy to follow with ranking numbers on the markers. It is also located on the popular site Mashup's front page which makes it available to many people.

I think that they used a Google map because it shows the public all over the country where the best places to work are. I think that a map would be the best way to display this data because there are businesses all over the country. It is a topic that covers a large geographic area with a potentially big audience and that is why I feel like a map is the best medium.

The arrangement of this map is very simple, but it can also give more specific information to more interested users. The markers with the rankings quickly show where they rank, their location and the number of employees. The hyperlink can give users more detailed information about the company and its ranking. It also usually shows a picture of the business and the companies website.

http://beta.twittervision.com/

Although I haven't explored Twitter and its features yet personally, I found the global map to be very interesting. It seemed to work pretty proficiently, however it did tend to freeze on occasion. The constant and instant updates of the posts is probably the rationale for its glitches.

The purpose for the map is to show twitter updates immediately as they occur. Being a global source, it does have numerous languages that are not translated. The map doesn't seem to have any sort of strategy as far as what post it reveals, and what country the post came from, however it probably has to do with the time of the post. Also, during each post viewing, a link is present to access the person's blog.

The audience is on a very large scale. Being a global media stream, it pretty much covers all parts of the world. It is probably intended more for twitter users all over, providing an easier way to view random posts and blogs. Those interested in maps of the like would probably be enticed also. The rapid movements of the map's view sometimes makes it hard for its audience to focus on particular posts and/or countries, however it is designed to be pretty random. The map is appropriate for nearly anyone.

Being that every time a user accesses the map, they experience different posts, from different people, in different places, the context varies. The movement of the map seems to have some glitches because it is so continuous, allowing the map to either get stuck on certain posts, or get stuck on a region with no posts in view at all.

As far as as strategies, medium and arrangement is concerned, I like most of the ideas concerning them. I like the randomness of the map, and that it takes you half way across the world between posts. The buttons across the top are to review previous posts, which is convenient, however they are very difficult to see. The twitter bird also adds a nice touch, present everytime a post previews. Since the posts switch so rapidly, it is hard to see where you actually are on the map. I think it would be interesting to be able to click on a certain country, making it easier to access, creating more of an interactive feel. It would be better if the user had more control over what they viewed, and where the posts are coming from.

http://haiti.ushahidi.com/main

Purpose:
According the map name I would have thought the map was showing the location of the earthquakes origin but looking at the map and the diagram it only seems to be showing where medical facilities are located. If the name of the map is not clear it leads to confusion for those who are accessing the map to find origins of the earthquakes.
Audience:
I would imagine the audience for this map to be just about any persons interested in the recent events happening in Haiti. I don't believe this map was made general enough, or maybe the creator thought that certain things might be implied but those things are not clear to the audience as expected.
I would think the audience of this map would be those who want information in a simple and quick fashion. One element that seems out of place to me is the key, it is located at the bottom and a simple moving of it above the map would require less searching on the audience part. There are also labels in the key that are not even plotted on the map.
Strategies:
Just sticking to basic information about the earthquakes and where they originated and what parts of the country were affected would make this map more appealing and useful.
Medium:
The medium is a good choice because many people use the internet to find out information when none is otherwise available.
Arrangement:
With this map I would say that maybe they could make separate maps for certain information so it would be easier to use. Have one map that is specifically for plotting the epicenters of the earthquakes and the impacted areas and then a separate map for where the medical stations are located.