{"id":679932,"date":"2024-06-25T19:59:39","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T02:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&#038;p=679932"},"modified":"2024-06-25T12:21:55","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T19:21:55","slug":"what-a-good-meal-and-a-good-map-have-in-common","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/what-a-good-meal-and-a-good-map-have-in-common","title":{"rendered":"What a Good Meal and a Good Map Have in Common"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15202,91,11012],"tags":[288862,289102,19272,11072,176702],"arcnews_issues":[489472],"class_list":["post-679932","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cartography","category-mapping","category-the-relevance-of-cartography","tag-cartographer","tag-geoinformation","tag-geospatial-data","tag-ica","tag-international-cartographic-association","arcnews_issues-summer-2024","arcnews_sections-gis-people"],"acf":{"short_description":"Finding and using geospatial data is like finding and eating food. There are lots of options, but some versions are better than others.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Finding and using geospatial data, or geodata, is a lot like finding and eating food. There are lots of options for how to get each, but some versions are more comprehensive and offer a more substantial experience than others.\r\n\r\nLet me show you what I mean."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":679952,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>So, you\u2019re hungry. What do you do? Here are your options.<\/h2>\r\n<h3>You can go find a farm.<\/h3>\r\nThis is where raw food is produced\u2014where the fundamental ingredients for a meal are acquired. Farmers harvest grains, milk cows, pick berries, dig up beets, and so much more.\r\n\r\nThis is laborious. Some of this food can be eaten right away, but some of it can\u2019t and needs to be refined before it can be consumed.\r\n\r\nTo get bread, for example, it\u2019s essential to have grains; but grains are not bread. Grains need to be ground into flour. Then bakers need to add water, salt, and other ingredients to the flour to make a dough before baking it in an oven to make bread.\r\n<h3>You can go find a supermarket.<\/h3>\r\nIn a supermarket, most food has been enhanced. It has been ordered, packed, and sorted so it is easy for customers to find and use in various ways.\r\n\r\nShoppers can take some of the food\u2014say, berries or even bread\u2014and eat it right away. They can also take bread and buy other ingredients, such as cheese and lettuce, and make a sandwich. Or they can buy a premade sandwich. That sandwich, whether it\u2019s turkey or tuna, will taste like similar sandwiches. In other words, it will be standardized.\r\n<h3>You can go find a restaurant.<\/h3>\r\nThis is where you order an entire meal. Here, a cook has used select ingredients\u2014whether raw from the farm or prepared at a supermarket\u2014and aggregated them; designed a composition; added some oils, spices, and sauces; and created an entire meal. The cook has made sure that you are not only satiating your hunger but also enjoying what you eat.\r\n\r\nA meal in one restaurant may taste different from a similar meal at another restaurant, since cooks add personal touches and unique flavors. This likely affects which restaurant you choose. Some restaurants have standardized meals, while others vary in quality from day to day and from meal to meal. Some cooks can also compose meals that you can\u2019t make yourself, leading to new tasting experiences and different levels of enjoyment."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>So, you have a question related to location. What do you do? Here are your options.<\/h2>\r\n<h3>You can go find some data.<\/h3>\r\nYou can even acquire the data yourself by engaging in data gathering activities. You\u2019ll need to dig into this raw data\u2014find the coordinates, examine the numbers, or look at the pixels in the imagery. The answers to your question might be there, but it will be laborious to discern the patterns, detect the trends, and see the stories and narratives that you are looking for or, perhaps, haven\u2019t even thought about.\r\n\r\nTo get answers to spatial questions, it is essential to have geodata. However, would the mayor of a city go to a geodatabase and try to dig into the raw data to get more information before making a decision? Would a tourist in a foreign city look at the polygons of that city\u2019s transportation lines to figure out the optimal route for getting from their hotel to a museum? Would a hiker plot the coordinates of a trajectory to find a path and learn the context of a hike?\r\n\r\nFor all three of these questions, the answer is likely no\u2014just like someone who\u2019s hungry likely wouldn\u2019t go to a farm to get food. Finding geodata is like finding food on a farm. It\u2019s raw.\r\n<h3>You can go find geoinformation.<\/h3>\r\nWith geoinformation, someone has the data. It has been ordered, packed, and sorted.\r\n\r\nYou can take some of this geoinformation and use it right away, like when you buy bread and toast it to eat for breakfast. Just like how bread satiates hunger, geoinformation can yield an answer to your question. But it may take some effort to browse this geoinformation, interact with it, and explore it to find patterns and trends\u2014sort of like taking that bread and making a more enticing sandwich.\r\n\r\nFinding geoinformation is like finding food in a supermarket. It\u2019s prepared and can be used as is but will probably work better if it\u2019s enhanced and even standardized.\r\n<h3>You can go find a map.<\/h3>\r\nHere, a cartographer or cartographic algorithm has used select data; aggregated it; designed a composition; added some shapes, colors, and points of interest; and created an experience with that data that enables you to not only get an answer to your question but also perceive it in a tailored, pleasing, and enjoyable way. By looking at a skillfully assembled and well-designed map, you may experience new thoughts and ideas, much like how at a restaurant, you may experience new tastes.\r\n\r\nSure, some maps are more like fast food, and that is fine. There is a huge variety of maps, just like there is a huge variety of restaurants and meals. It is possible, though, to acknowledge the difference between a special map and one that is used for everyday convenience, just like it is possible to acknowledge the difference between an exceptional meal at an upscale restaurant and a simpler meal you get when you\u2019re in a rush."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Enjoy the Experience<\/h2>\r\nThe next time you sit down at a restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal, think about how you\u2019re not eating the raw ingredients straight from a farm or the packaged ingredients purchased at a supermarket. Instead, you\u2019re receiving the synthesized result of a creative process that allows you to experience additional value.\r\n\r\nThe same is true for maps. The next time you find yourself enjoying a map, acknowledge that this map is more than data and more than geoinformation. It is the result of a creative process that enables you to experience deeper thinking."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What a Good Meal and a Good Map Have in Common | Summer 2024 | ArcNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Finding and using geospatial data is like finding and eating food. 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