# 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.
Further explanation
# 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!
- It would include data about ...
A grammatical note on 'data'
Check your understanding
A given map is produced from exactly one dataset.
Only specific types of data can be read by computers.