# What is a map? What is data?

# How are maps and data different?

• You might find that the terms “maps” and “data” blend together in your head, or perhaps they don’t seem connected at all.
• You might wonder ...
  • Is a map data?
  • Does a map show data?
  • Is a map made up of data?
  • Are all maps related to data?
• A metaphor from language:
  • Data makes up the "words" which, in isolation, don't mean very much.
  • A mapmaker combines data components to communicate visually with a map.
  • Breaking down a map allows us to understand its components and learn to "speak" the language of mapmaking.

# Data as observations about the world

• Data refers to observations about the world that have been captured by humans and machines.
• 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 were made up of "data" that were gathered from sources of evidence like the passages of the Bible.
  • For example, what kinds of data would have been required by the mapmaker of this "mappa mundi?"

• Imagine 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!