Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Dan Scollon at TEDxRedding

Summary

This video explores the evolution of maps and their influence on how we perceive and interact with the world. From ancient navigation to modern geographic information systems (GIS), maps have evolved into tools for organizing, advocating, and shaping the future. The speaker highlights examples like satellite imagery in Borneo, community-based mapping efforts, and digital tools for urban planning and environmental conservation. By democratizing knowledge, modern mapping technologies empower individuals and communities to reclaim their land, improve infrastructure, and foster local economies while addressing global challenges like deforestation and resource management.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The iconic 1972 Earth image heightened awareness of the planet's interconnectedness, prompting significant advances in mapping technologies.
• 🌃 Satellite images of Earth at night highlight energy consumption patterns and population distribution, revealing sparse populations in areas like Canada, Central Asia, and parts of the US.
• 🚚 Modern transportation networks, including highways, railways, and airlines, link global cities, demonstrating humanity's interconnectivity.
• 🗺️ Maps have evolved over time, from ancient Polynesian stick maps to digital, geotagged maps that provide real-time information and guide decision-making.
• 🌐 Social media and geospatial technology have transformed communication, playing key roles in events like the Arab Spring and Occupy Movement, and even in disaster response.
• 🌳 In Borneo, deforestation threatens indigenous communities, but community-based participatory mapping efforts have empowered local populations to defend their land rights.
• 📊 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) help visualize and analyze data, aiding in everything from court cases to urban planning and environmental conservation.
• 🍷 Interactive maps connect consumers with local producers, such as wineries and olive oil makers, fostering local economic development.
• 🚶‍♂️ Mapping projects in Northern California include efforts to conserve biodiversity, improve trail systems, and optimize transportation planning.
• 🖼️ Maps are no longer just tools of the powerful; they can now be used for advocacy, democratization, and envisioning a more equitable and sustainable future.

Q & A

What is the significance of the iconic image taken in 1972 mentioned in the script?

The iconic image from 1972 altered human consciousness about the Earth and our interconnectedness. It marked a turning point in how we perceive the planet and our relationship with the environment.

How have today's maps changed the way we interact with the world?

Today’s maps, enhanced by new mapping technologies and geographic information systems (GIS), allow us to interact with the world in more complex ways, such as real-time navigation, understanding energy consumption patterns, and aiding in disaster response.

What is the most visible pattern in the composite image of North America and Asia at night?

The most visible pattern is the prodigious consumption of energy, especially when comparing North America with the larger populations of India and China.

How do ancient maps, such as Polynesian stick maps, differ from modern maps?

Ancient maps, like the Polynesian stick maps, were used for navigation in specific regions like the Pacific. Modern maps, however, are largely digital and can zoom into any location, providing detailed and real-time information about places worldwide.

What role did social media play in recent global events mentioned in the script?

Social media facilitated communication during significant global events like the Arab Spring and Occupy Movement, enabling people to share real-time information and organize revolutions.

How did community-based participatory mapping help indigenous communities in Borneo?

Community-based participatory mapping, using GPS and GIS, helped indigenous communities in Borneo document their lands and protect them from deforestation. These maps were successfully used in courts to defend their land rights.

What challenges have arisen due to deforestation in Borneo?

Borneo has experienced rapid deforestation, with 80% of its land cleared or degraded. This threatens the survival of indigenous communities and the island's biodiversity.

What kind of mapping projects are being carried out in Northern California, as mentioned in the script?

Several projects include mapping wineries, vineyards, olive oil producers, community service organizations, conservation efforts for fish habitats, and trail systems to promote healthy lifestyles and tourism.

How are maps being used to improve transportation planning in Northern California?

GIS professionals in Northern California are using maps to plan transportation infrastructure by identifying areas of high traffic concentration and improving efficiency and livability through data-driven decision-making.

What is the broader social and political impact of modern mapping technologies?

Modern mapping technologies democratize access to information, enabling marginalized communities to defend land rights, organize movements, and advocate for social change, but they can also be misused for exploitation, inequality, and privacy violations.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 The Iconic Image of Earth and the Power of Mapping Technologies

The paragraph opens with the discussion of a historic 1972 image of Earth that profoundly shifted how we view our planet and interconnectedness. Over the past 40 years, mapping technologies have evolved, helping us understand global energy consumption, population distribution, and connectivity. Through images like a nighttime view of North America and Asia, the paragraph emphasizes how we are more connected than ever through transportation, communication lines, and shipping lanes. This sets the stage for how modern maps influence our interactions, decision-making, and engagement with the challenges of the 21st century.

05:01

🗺️ Geographic Information Systems: Mapping the World Through Data

The second paragraph highlights the role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in creating visualizations of the world. These systems integrate data from various sources to produce maps, charts, and animations that inform our understanding of place. A personal story is shared by the speaker about returning to Malaysia, driven by a childhood connection. The focus then shifts to how indigenous communities, like the Daaks in Borneo, use intricate mental maps for navigation and survival. However, deforestation and globalization are threatening these lands. The speaker's work with the Borneo Project involves using community-based participatory mapping and technology to defend land rights and preserve the environment.

10:04

🏞️ Reclaiming Culture and Mapping Local Resources

This paragraph touches on indigenous efforts to reclaim their culture and land, focusing on areas like Medicine Lake Highlands. Mapping plays a key role in this reclamation. The speaker also discusses student projects in Northern California that map local resources, such as wineries and service organizations, making these resources accessible to the community through interactive maps. The speaker emphasizes how maps are being used to promote local economic development, conservation, and community service. There are also projects related to improving fish habitats and promoting healthy lifestyles through trail systems in the region.

15:06

📍 Maps as Tools for Advocacy and Innovation

The final paragraph concludes with the transformative impact of maps on our perception of the world. Maps no longer serve only the powerful but have become tools for the public to assert their priorities and rights. They are a means of democratization, advocacy, and organization, but they can also be misused for exploitation, inequality, and privacy violations. The speaker emphasizes that maps are now platforms where everyone can communicate their vision for the future, design solutions, and dream of new possibilities.

Keywords

💡Interconnectedness

Interconnectedness refers to the idea that all aspects of the Earth and its inhabitants are linked and affect one another. In the video, this concept is highlighted through the iconic 1972 image of the Earth, which altered humanity's awareness of our planet and the way we interact with it. This theme is emphasized as the speaker discusses how maps and technologies have evolved to reflect and reveal these connections in the modern world.

💡Mapping Technologies

Mapping technologies include the tools and systems used to create digital representations of the Earth. The speaker notes how advances in these technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and satellite imagery, have revolutionized our understanding of geographic space and how we interact with the environment. These technologies enable dynamic, interactive maps that are used for everything from navigation to environmental monitoring.

💡Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

GIS refers to systems that capture, store, and analyze geographic data to produce maps and visualizations. In the video, GIS is presented as a key tool in the 'mapping revolution,' allowing for complex data about places to be represented visually. GIS is used in applications like disaster response, urban planning, and environmental conservation, as demonstrated by examples of community-based mapping in Borneo.

💡Deforestation

Deforestation is the large-scale removal of forests, often driven by economic or agricultural needs. The speaker addresses deforestation in Borneo, noting how 80% of the island has been degraded or cleared due to globalization. This destruction threatens the survival of indigenous communities and biodiversity, a key challenge discussed in the context of mapping efforts to protect land rights and plan sustainable futures.

💡Participatory Mapping

Participatory mapping is a process where local communities are involved in creating maps that reflect their knowledge and land use. The video highlights the use of this method in Borneo, where local people worked with organizations to map their territories using both traditional sketching and modern GPS technology. These maps helped them defend land rights in court and resist external pressures such as deforestation.

💡Arab Spring

The Arab Spring refers to a series of uprisings and protests across the Middle East and North Africa around 2011, driven by demands for political reform. In the video, social media is credited with playing a vital role in these movements by enabling real-time communication and organization. This is linked to the broader theme of how digital mapping and communication technologies can empower people to bring about political change.

💡Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is the practice of gathering input or data from a large group of people, often through digital platforms. The video describes how crowdsourcing was crucial during disasters like the Haiti and Japan earthquakes, where citizens contributed to 'crowd maps' to locate vital resources. This demonstrates how technology can mobilize collective efforts to respond to emergencies and improve crisis management.

💡Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in a particular ecosystem, including plants, animals, and microorganisms. The video mentions Borneo's rainforests as a biodiversity hotspot, home to species like the orangutan. However, this rich biodiversity is under threat due to deforestation. The speaker uses the example of indigenous peoples' maps to show how preserving natural habitats is integral to maintaining biodiversity.

💡Globalization

Globalization is the process of increasing interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. In the video, globalization is portrayed as a double-edged sword; while it connects regions economically and culturally, it also drives deforestation and resource exploitation in places like Borneo. This highlights the tension between economic development and environmental conservation.

💡Community-Based Mapping

Community-based mapping involves local populations mapping their own environment to reflect their cultural, economic, and social priorities. The video provides the example of indigenous groups in Borneo using maps to assert their land rights. These maps have been used successfully in legal battles and are part of a larger effort to protect local communities from external exploitation, underscoring the power of maps as tools for self-determination.

Highlights

The iconic 1972 image of Earth changed our perception of interconnectedness and spurred advancements in mapping technologies.

Maps today are altering how we perceive, interact with, and engage with the challenges of the 21st century.

The composite image of North America and Asia at night reveals energy consumption patterns and population distribution.

Social media and digital maps have revolutionized communication, enabling uprisings like the Arab Spring and movements such as Occupy.

Crowd-sourced mapping, such as during disasters in Haiti and Japan, played a crucial role in saving lives by providing real-time information on resources.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enable the visualization of data through maps, animations, and charts, forming the backbone of today's mapping revolution.

Personal experiences in Borneo inspired the speaker's involvement in mapping projects aimed at protecting the indigenous Dayak people's land and resources.

In collaboration with the Borneo Project, community-based participatory mapping was introduced to document and defend the Dayak's land rights.

Borneo's deforestation has accelerated rapidly, with 80% of the island being cleared or degraded due to globalization.

Maps created by local communities in Borneo were successfully used in court to defend land rights, despite legal challenges from the state.

Native American communities are reclaiming place names and cultural practices in Northern California through mapping projects.

Interactive maps of local wineries, vineyards, and olive oil producers in Northern California connect consumers with local businesses.

A community service organization map for Redding, California, consolidates local services into one easy-to-access digital platform.

Students in Northern California are using GIS to map conservation easements and improve fish habitats, combining technology with environmental conservation.

Modern maps democratize information, enabling ordinary people to influence decisions, advocate for change, and design the future.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

this iconic image taken in

1972 forever altered our Consciousness

about the Earth and our

interconnectedness in the 40 years since

this image was taken we have collected a

vast Archive of data about the Earth and

developed a number of new mapping

Technologies I'd like to share with you

some of the ways in which today's maps

are altering the way that we perceive

our world the way that we interact with

it and also the way that we engage in

the challenges and opportunities of the

21st

century this composite image of North

America and Asia at night reveal some

interesting

patterns

our prodigious consumption of energy is

probably the most obvious one keeping in

mind that the populations of India and

China combined are seven times that of

North America you can also see some

patterns of population distribution the

sparer populations that are found in the

high latitudes of Canada and Central

Asia and also in the western half of the

United States with the exception of the

West

Coast you can see the the location of

reading and also note the location of

Borneo as we will visit there

shortly while many of us may think of

reading as being isolated we are in fact

along a north south axis that connects

Vancouver Seattle Portland San Francisco

Los Angeles and San Diego all major

epicenters of culture art economy and

Technology were connected across the

Pacific of course by airports and

Airlines shipping lanes and also by

communication lines and we're connected

Within by our system of Highways Rail

lines and uh communication towers and so

forth the ancient routes of Miwok modok

and wi are now plied by big rigs and

freight trains that are feeding the

world

economy The Arc of civiliz ation can be

traced through

Maps they communicate the opportunities

and the risks of place in

space and they have evolved over time as

human societies have become more

complex this ancient Polynesian stick

map showed them how to locate islands in

the vast Pacific it was later superseded

by maps created during the Age of

Exploration that enabled European

Colonial Conquest note on this map by

the way the island of

California today's maps are largely

delivered via computers and digital

devices we simply request a destination

and we are zoomed through a 3D landscape

complete with imagery and plac marks

directions in a

geocoded geotagged tweeted virtualized

reality of the

place these capabilities have come about

not simply through software or devices

but instead a re revolution in the way

that we

communicate social media has enabled us

not only to share pictures of our

families but has also enabled uh

Revolutions in uh places like Egypt and

Libya during the Arab Spring uprisings

and has also enabled us to uh

communicate similar events here at home

such as the Occupy

Movement we also use this information to

get realtime information on traffic and

road conditions and also to uh use it

for things like uh games such as Ingress

which allow us to connect with our

community and our uh place that we're

living in disasters such as the

earthquakes in Haiti and Japan recently

revealed the value and importance of

location the crowd map application

allowed for a citizen mapping of

important resources that saved lives

during these tragedies and is

increasingly a vital way in which we

respond to these types of

situations these

capabilities have a root in geographic

information

systems this diagram illustrates how the

input of information about place which

can come in the form of maps and

satellite imagery and other sorts of

sources of

data allows us to produce visualizations

including Maps animations charts and

other sorts of of graphical

illustrations and of course there are

peripheral connections and peripheral

technology developments that really

demonstrate this as being the foundation

of today's mapping

Revolution I'd like to share with you a

little bit of personal history by way of

illustrating the potential of

maps when I was a young boy I'm the

little guy in that picture uh my

father's career in Asian Affairs took us

to live in Malaysia this was our

favorite swimming

hole and while I was too young to

consciously remember the place there was

something about it that called to me

over the years it became a siren Call

for me to return and eventually I did in

1994 following the completion of my

geography

degree and in spite of fears about my

personal safety or about tropical

diseases they were soon overshadowed by

the beauty of Borneo and by the warmth

and good nature of my diak hosts if you

ever travel to this place you will also

do the hornbill dance but fear not

you'll be given plenty of fermented

borack which makes it all quite a bit

easier to uh to

do the dacs have a intricate mental map

of the forest that allows them to

navigate by rivers and game trails and

allows them to find food and Medicine

which it seems to be at every

turn they also have a healthy respect

for the spirits of the forest embodied

here by the orangutan the man of the

forest which demonstrates and

illustrates the astounding biodiversity

of borneo's

rainforests the daaks were largely

isolated in many parts of Borneo until

the past few

decades but the 21st Cur Cy has brought

about a

rapid acceleration in deforestation the

global Gears of globalization have

ground deep into the once impen

impenetrable

interior and this is Illustrated in this

uh slide which is showing some recent

research based on satellite imagery the

areas in purple being those areas that

have been cleared or uh degraded 80% of

the Island Borneo which is the size of

Texas is now degraded or

cleared in an attempt to try to confront

the economic and political forces that

are threatening daak survival I teamed

up with the Borneo project and we

brought a community-based participatory

mapping program to Borneo and initially

this started with Sketch mapping you can

see in the upper leftand corner there

just laying out a big piece of paper and

grabbing pens and and allowing people to

draw in and write the things of value I

recommend you try this at home it's it's

a fun and interesting exercise but

eventually we graduated into higher Tech

methods like GPS and GIS and we produced

Maps such as the one that you see in

this slide which have been used

successfully in the courts actually

created uh a backlash the C the state

government of sarawa created a law

outlawing maps created by people that

were not surveyors which was initiated

because they didn't like the fact that

these folks were starting to make maps

of their lands but they have been

successfully used in the courts to

defend land rights and also as a way to

plan out for their uh use of their land

and their future so community-based maps

and Borneo and also satellite

image-based research has created a

situation that has uh caused the state

to reassess its its uh how it

communicates with its most marginalized

populations and has also created an

opportunity to chart a new future for

Borneo so closer to home here we have

Native Americans that are also trying to

reassert their place and their culture

in places like the medicine Lake

Highlands and in countless other

sensitive sites around the North State

and by doing so they're attempting to

reclaim place names and reclaim a uh

opportunity for traditional land

use

next I'd like to share with you some of

the interesting and I think cool

projects that we have going on here in

the North State and I'm going to start

off with a couple of student

projects and this particular project was

mapping out the location of wineries

Vineyards and olive oil producers in the

North State and this is an interactive

map so you just see a sample click on

this and you see the kind of information

that's available so if you're driving

around Northern California on a Saturday

and you're wondering what kind of places

you might stop for a little break you

can bring this up on a mobile device and

see the hours and if there's a tasting

room close to where you're

located this is an opportunity to

connect producers with consumers and

support Local Economic

Development

this particular map on reading community

service organizations was inspired by

Shasta College's Center for Community

engagement and we sat down with these

leaders at these community service

organizations and said how could we help

you guys what what would help you to do

what you do better and they said you

know we have got so many organizations

in this town and we have so much need

and every time somebody comes in off the

street and says you know I need dental

care or you know whatever the case is

then they rifle through these binders

and they look in all these different

websites and they needed one go-to place

so we produced this and and I can't

remember the the number of data points

that that were included just within the

city but I believe it was uh um several

hundred and you can click on the point

there you can see on the left hand side

they're classified and it allows you to

identify by type and it's a way to

connect the services with uh the V most

vulnerable parts of our local community

here

conservation of our plant and animal

diversity is being pursued in a number

of creative ways in this example

students went out and mapped stream

conditions along a conservation easement

held by the Shasta Land Trust in the

interest of improving fish

habitat students like this too because

they get to walk around in the

creek

trails in our area are uh just one of

the great resources that I know uh many

of you in this community share an

interest and a value in it promotes

Healthy Lifestyles and also a connection

with nature and our growing system of

trails is another place that we have an

opportunity to be able to convey more

information not only to people in

reading but to Out of Towners as well

about the trail conditions uh both

off-road trails and also uh the bike

Lanes around our community and so this

is an area of of personal interest and

and one that uh I think is really uh one

of the great assets for our uh for our

community transportation of course is an

issue of concern all over the uh the

state of California and elsewhere uh

here in Reading we have uh Regional um

agencies that are working with GIS

professionals to to plan for how

Transportation will be developed in the

future and this particular map a heat

map of reading shows those areas of of

Transportation concentration and it's a

way to inform decision- making and

policym and also to improve efficiency

and livability of our

community uh the city of reading is

piloting an application to allow

citizens to be able to come and report

on service needs so if you have a

disruption in this case a water problem

you can go in your location indicates

and it's a way to improve the

services so you can uh check out a lot

of these applications out of for far

NorCal g.org this is a place where you

can connect with uh different folks that

are interested you don't need to be a

professional there's lots of resources

to learn about how to do this on your

own uh and also how to connect with some

of the professionals and uh students as

well today's maps have created a change

in the way that we perceive the world

the way that we interact with each other

and the state and the

economy they have also created uh a

change in the way that we're able to

represent our own priorities and our own

knowledge no longer are maps simply held

by those in positions of power but

rather are a canvas upon which all of us

can convey and claim our own future and

our own sense of

place they can still be used for

resource exploitation for economic

inequality for the perpetuation of

violence for uh violations of privacy

but they can also be used to democratize

to organize to Advocate to design and to

dream thank

[Applause]

you