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health:
underConstruction: true
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# (2) What is a map? What is data?

## How maps and data are different

* Like most people, you might find that the terms "maps" and "data" blend together in your head
* Do you think ...
* Is a map data?
* Does a map *show* data?
* Is a map *made up of* data?
* Are *all* maps related to data, or are data maps a particular type of map?
* A metaphor from language
* Data sets are the "words" which, in isolation, don't mean very much
* A mapmaker uses a "grammar" to make data communicable
* Breaking down a map into its components allows us to understand what's going on
* It also gives us a framework for thinking about how to "speak" in this language yourself

<Hideable title="More reading on your own time">

A good way to think about it is this: When someone is working on their written literacy skills, they usually practice both reading *and* writing to become a more skilled communicator. We believe visual means of communication (like maps) are exactly the same — in order to best "read" maps, you should also be able to understand a little about the craft by which they are constructed. Today, this almost always involves the use of geospatial data. You can think about data, with all of its formats, rules and structure, like the underlying grammar beneath maps.

</Hideable>

## Data are observations about the world

* You might have a strong association between the word "data" and "numbers in a computer"
* Data is really a more general term about _information_
* Medieval European maps, for example, were made up of "data" that were gathered from sources of evidence like the passages of the Bible

<aside>

Can you think of a type of geographic data that you create and use in your everyday life? Think about observations about space and place that you are making all the time.

</aside>

* Consider an ordinary web map that you might use to get to the nearest coffee shop
* It would include data about ...
* Where coffee shops are located
* What those coffee shops are called and when they're open
* Where you are located
* How you're planning to get around (walk, bike, transit, drive)
* How roads and paths are connected in space
* What the roads are named
* And more!
* Data encode human observations of the world in a way that is legible to computers.

<aside>

Try running a [Google Image search](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=1341&ei=4IklYLu4CZC1ggeL5ZaIAQ&q=data&oq=data&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgAELEDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQM6AggAOggIABCxAxCDAVC-BFieBmCAB2gAcAB4AIABeogB9wGSAQMyLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZw&sclient=img&ved=0ahUKEwi7qMLYzOLuAhWQmuAKHYuyBREQ4dUDCAY&uact=5) for the word "data." What kinds of stereotypes do you find relating to this word looking at just the first page of results?

</aside>

<Quizlet
title="Check your understanding"
:questions="[
{text: 'A given map is produced from exactly one data set.',
answers: [
{text: 'True'},
{text: 'False', correct: true}
]},

{text: 'Only specific types of data can be read by computers.',
answers: [
{text: 'True', correct: true},
{text: 'False'}
]
}
]"
/>