Lab 3: Neogeography

View My Favorite Places in Oahu, Hawaii. in a larger map

        For my Neogeography lab assignment, I mapped my favorite places in Oahu, Hawaii because I travel there often to visit my family. I included a route of the places I normally visit while I am there, like favorite dining and snack places (like the Matsumoto Shave Ice store), favorite nature areas, as well as my favorite Hotel in Oahu (Pacific Beach Hotel). In my opinion, these places, except for my Grandpa's house, are the must-see places on Oahu for visitors who have never been to Oahu before. 
       This assignment was very helpful in gaining first-hand experience with Neogeography. The use of Neogeography, like this google maps tool, is great because it is publicly available to anyone with access to a computer and internet. It allows almost anyone to express themselves and their activities spatially. I also like that the use of Neography allows people to share their information with others. For example, someone who has never been to Oahu might be able to get ideas from using my map. Additionally, if I saw another map created by someone else featuring their favorite Oahu destinations, it might allow me to find places I had never been before. Interacting with this map also allows users to gain a better understanding of the layout of the places they have previously been. For instance, I didn't realize that my Grandpa's house was so close to the Bishop Museum that we like to visit together.
       The downsides of Neogeography could include technology failures, like the mapping programs not functioning properly due to glitches or programming errors. Perhaps some tools might be counterintuitive and hard to use. Also, there is big potential for human error. Users could easily put in inaccurate information accidentally. For example, they could input a wrong name, misspell a place or record a location that has moved, thereby making their map inaccurate. However, I think that the potential positive outcomes, like enabling everyone to create their own maps, facilitating the dissemination of geographic information and promoting geographic awareness definitely outweigh the potential downsides of Neogeography.