Maps Are Never Neutral
What does it mean to say that maps are “not neutral”?
Maps reflect choices about what to include, exclude, and emphasize, which shapes how places and problems are understood.
What is “local” or “lived” knowledge?
Knowledge based on everyday experiences of people living in a place.
True/False: Maps rarely leave important information out.
False
What gives GIS its authority?
Its association with science, institutions, and technical expertise.
The Toxic Avengers were started by this group of people.
High School Students
Name one way maps include or exclude information.
Through data selection, scale, boundaries, symbols, or what data is left out.
Why is GIS often seen as more legitimate than lived experience?
Because it appears technical, scientific, and objective.
Maps can highlight certain places or __________.
Problems/issues
Why do professional maps often outweigh community voices?
They are seen as more credible and objective by decision-makers.
The Toxic Avengers used mapping to show environmental __________.
Risk
What makes a map appear objective even though it isn’t neutral?
Its use of data, technology, or professional GIS
According to Elwood, who often decides what data “counts”?
Institutions, planners, and professionals with technical authority.
Maps shape how people __________ an issue.
Understand
How does expertise affect participation in mapping?
Those with technical skills have more influence over representation.
The Watchperson Party mapped how close people lived to this type of facility.
A radioactive facility
Why might two maps of the same place tell different stories?
They may use different data, perspectives, goals, or audiences.
What kinds of community knowledge are hardest to represent in GIS?
Emotional experiences, informal knowledge, cultural practices, and lived impacts.
Maps show information ___
Visually
Who benefits most from GIS being treated as objective?
Institutions and professionals who control data and tools.
The Department of Sanitation responded by creating this.
An official or competing map
How can the way a map frames a problem influence solutions?
It can direct attention toward certain issues while making others invisible, shaping which solutions seem possible
Should local knowledge be translated into GIS?
It can help communities gain legitimacy, but it can also limit how knowledge is expressed.
Maps can influence decisions and __________.
Policies
How might power change if lived experience were valued equally?
Decision-making could become more inclusive and responsive to communities.
Elwood’s case study focuses on a neighborhood association in this city.
Minneapolis