LECTURE 2

The Map as a Communication System

CHANGE Thoughts
The future has already begun and were already late SPEED (Analogue/Digital) I failed therefore what? Komla Dumo (Medicine to Journalism) hana/Malaysia/Ja!an" p ocess? CHANGE" Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything#$% culture? !HAT NE"T# &ni'ueness% Talents% ()ills% *assion% Intuition% +ate of return% ,alue Addition% -ulfillment% (atisfaction$ SPRNG%&ARD

Mo'el o( Communication
Singh (1966)
_______________________ Elements o( a typical communication system o net)o *# (ource " Message .hannel " .on/eys the message +eci!ient " +ecei/es the message

+i,u e 2-.

Dia, am o( %asic Communication System

S&URCE

CHANNEL

REC2E3ER

Messa,e

Me'ium con/eyin, Messa,e

Recei/es Messa,e 0Recipient1

(ource" Singh (1966) ; +obinson et al (0123)

+i,- 2-4# The Ca to, aphic Communication System$

REAL !&RLD

CART&GRAPHER5S C&NCEPT2&N

MAP

REC2P2ENT

(ource" +obinson et al (0114)

+i,- 2- The Ca to, aphic Communication System

Si,nal

Sou ce

Enco'e

Channel

Deco'e

Recipient

(ource" +obinson et al (0123)

Elements o( the Ca to, aphic Mo'el

Sou ce is the real world and the cartogra!hic conce!t of it% for e5am!le water% traffic congestion% !o!ulation distribution and floods$ Enco'e or encoding mechanism is the synthesis of gra!hics on the ma!$ Si,nal is the 67dimensional gra!hic !attern created by the symbols$ It consists of the light rays which ma)es the message /isible$ In s!eech or language% it is the /oice mechanism ta)ing the thoughts of the source and transforming them into sound wa/es Deco'e is the eye or mind mechanism of the recipient$ In language it is the hearing mechanism of the listener transforming the sound wa/es bac) into thoughts$ Map is the coded message from the source Channel is ma!!ing or cartogra!hic s!ace 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 The receiver% decoder and destination are the eyes and mind of the !erci!ient$

Mo'els o( Ca to, aphic Communication

U REALIT
U1 Cartographers U2 Map users Reality

reality

S1 Cartographers mind

L Cartographic language

M Map

L Cartographic language

Map Users Mind

+i,u e 2-6 A simpli(ie' /e sion o( Kolacny5s 'ia, am o( ca to, aphic communication- 0A(te Kolacny .7891

"o# $2$1 Meta Language o% Cartographic Communication U Total Reality of the Universe U1 Reality/Universe represented as seen by the (Cartographers Reality) U2 Reality (the universe as seen by map user) represented as seen by the artographer (!ap Users Reality) """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"" #1 The Cartographer $ ! Cartographi language (symbols% rules% et ) &rodu t of artography that is the !ap
(ource" Michael *$ *eterson 0114

#2 Map user or !ercipient

%o: -2-2 E:planation to (iel's in +i,u e 2-8 ( ((c 9(e)"re!resents the total geogra!hical en/ironment as !ercei/ed by man (c" *art of the en/ironment correctly !ercei/ed$ This is also information which is mis7concei/ed as a result of general incorrect conce!tion of the en/ironment in data collection or resulting from the !oor gra!hic symboli:ation of the information (e ; *art wrongly !ercei/ed <" the conce!tion of the en/ironment shared by both cartogra!her and ma! user consisting of correct and erroneous !art M" =b>ect of study of !art of the en/ironment (M) which becomes ob>ect of study by the ma! user$ M0" Information in the ma! )nown to the ma! user already M6" That information content of the ma! which is newly com!rehended by the user M? " That !art of the information in the ma! not !ercei/ed by the user$ & " An increase in the ma! users )nowledge as result of the ma! use% but which was not intended by the cartogra!her% nor has it been symboli:ed in the ma!$

+ee'<ac* Mechanism in ca to, aphic communication STAT2C MAP

REAL2T;
Ca to, aphe 5s Reality Map Use 5s Reality

Ca to, aphe 5s Min'

Ca to, aphic A<st action

Static Map

Reco,nition

Map Use 5s Min'

Ca to, aphe

Map Use

(ource" Michael *$ *eterson (0114)

2NTERACT23E MAP > +ee'<ac* mechanism )ith (ee'<ac* loop

REAL2T;
Ca to, aphe 5s Reality

Map Use 5s Reality

FEEDBACK LOOP

Ca to, aphe 5s Min'

A<st action = Use 2nte (ace

2nte acti/e Map

Reco,nition

Map Use 5s Min'

(ource" Michael *$ *eterson (0114)

Noise in Ca to, aphic Communication

@The cartogra!hic !rocess is disturbed at certain !oints in an un!lanned way$ This unwanted disturbance is what is )nown as Noise. @ It is anything in the signal or channel that disturbs or interferes with the transmission% such as distracting gra!hic !atterns on the ma! or !oor lighting% which blurs ma! /isibility$ @It may be identified in language asA bad /oice% static in radio or in T, as distortions on the screen$

-ig$ 6$6 Diagram of the .artogra!hic .ommunication (ystem

Si,nal

Sou ce

Enco'e

Channel

Deco'e

Recipient

(ource" +obinson et al (0123)

B=I(C

C&NCLUS2&N >.
@ The cartogra!hic communication !rocess can only be successfully accom!lished if the sender (cartogra!her) !roduces a signal (the ma!) which is understood by the recei/er (the ma! user) @(uccessful cartogra!hic communication is more than deci!hering and understanding indi/idual symbols$ It is also the full understanding of geogra!hical or s!atial conce!ts% distributions and relationshi!s @C5isting )nowledge with the ma! user and the study of the ma!% may lead to inter!retations and to information often beyond the content of the ma!$

C&NCLUS2&N >2
@ =ne of the re'uirements for achie/ing such understanding of relationshi!s and s!atial distributions is the !ro!er design of symbols or gra!hics by the cartogra!her to !ortray information @ +emember that symbol design is not >ust the ability to design and assign different symbols for each sub>ect or ob>ect to a!!ear in the ma!A it is more im!ortantly% the intellectual process of the design of an harmonious set of symbols that properly portray the type, character and location of the single or grouped elements in the map @ At the same time% the ma! !ortrays the total sub>ect matter (grou!ed elements) of the ma! as a well as balanced entity between the cartogra!her and the ma! user$

C&NCLUS2&N >4
@ Although the /arious com!onents of the communication system may be 'uite different from any another element of the system% the fundamental characteristics of all communication systems are similar$ @ In order to em!loy any system to the best ad/antage% the attributes of each com!onent must be clearly understood (A onto !rs "ospel music#) @ Therefore% Dunless a ma! is !re!ared so that it is com!rehensible to the !erson for whom it is intended% it will not !erform its functionE$

+C,ICF G&C(TI=B(
Fith reference to illustrati/e diagrams discuss the definition of the ma! as a communication system Account for B=I(C in .artogra!hic .ommunication and e5!lain briefly how can it can arise or be minimi:ed? Distinguish between the cartogra!herHs reality and the ma! users reality$ Fhat accounts for any such discre!ancies? D$$$$$unless a ma! is !re!ared so that it is com!rehensible to the !erson for whom it is intended% it will not !erform its functionE Discuss with reference to cartogra!hic communication% .redit will be gi/en for any illustrati/e diagrams

Re(e ences
Ro<inson$ A-H$ an' Petcheni*$ %-%- 0.7?81 The Natu e o( Maps# Essays to)a ' un'e stan'in, maps an' mappin,- Uni/e sity o( Chica,o P ess 0Chapte 2@ The map as a Communication System1Pete son M-P- .776$ 2nte acti/e an' Animate' Ca to, aphy$ P entice Hall$ En,le)oo' Cli((s$ Ne) Ae seyA'' !e< Sou ces# )))--------