Lab #3 Neogreography

View On Oahu in a larger map


    This is a map of places I went and things I did while on the island of Oahu for my uncle's wedding. My mom's family was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, right around the corner from a famous snorkel location: Hanauma Bay. My mom and I arrived in Honolulu on July 13. My dad and two sisters did not arrive until Thursday night. On Wednesday, the 14th, all the uncles and friends went to Wet 'n' Wild water park for the bachelor party. Although this was a casual "family" bachelor party, I still felt a little awkward being there with all the guys. It will probably be the only bachelor party I'll get to attend in my life. Later that week on Thursday, My uncle Chip, cousin Dan, sister Coral and I went to different beaches on the island like Sandy's and Aukai's and went bodysurfing. We also went to the wedding rehearsal. The next day was a beautiful day to have a wedding, despite the rain, there was a double rainbow: a sign of good luck. After the wedding we partook in various Chinese traditions and danced and ate at the reception. The rest of the week consisted on going out to dinner and shopping at some locations I have tagged in my map.

    Neogregraphy is a generally new concept on the internet today. It allows for people without any prior experience to make maps using the Google Maps tool. They make it really easy to embed the map that you make onto your website or blog in order to show your friends and family what you’re up to or where you've been or what interests you. Although it is easy to use, that might just be a pitfall of neogeography: anyone can use it. Therefore anyone can put on a map where you live and anyone can gain access to any information found in databases available to the public. One map, for example, mapped out who was funding for political campaigns in the San Francisco Bay area. The map had their name, where they lived and how much money they donated to a certain party. There are obviously privacy issues that have aroused because of this map. What if someone was a strong advocate of the Democratic Party in the area and use this map to target people who are giving money to the republicans. The sense of being public and having the world know where you live ruins privacy. Also, because anyone can make the maps now, there is no authority regulating what goes into them. Before, map making was a government aspect, but now that people have such abundant access to making their own maps, they have the power to put whatever they want into them. Again this leads back to the privacy issue and people need to be aware that through these maps, a lot of personal information can be exposed and anyone can gain access to them.