Lab 4 : ArcGIS

This lab was my first experience with ArcGIS, specifically ArcMap. Overall, I am very impressed by all that ArcGIS allows a user to do. At first, it was frustrating because I didn't understand why I was doing all of the actions that I was doing. It was a lot of button pushing without comprehending the whole picture. My second time through the tutorial went more quickly and smoother because I was beginning to understand the 'why' behind my actions. This exercise, and its example of proposed airport expansion, made me realize how much GIS technology must be used in all sorts of fields to accomplish analyses that have just recently become a possibility for non-governmental agencies. And, inevitably, with this immense potential comes pitfalls.

ArcGIS allows users to make accurate, professional, detailed, and well organized maps very quickly. Users are able to run statistical analyses and then make tables and graphs to more clearly represent these statistics.  This means that statistical data represented geographically is becoming more prevalent and easier to come by. The upside to this is that it allows people to categorize areas based on different criteria quickly, which can be useful for all sorts of policy and planning,

However, there are also downsides to the prevalence of these types of maps. It means that the people who possess them also possess a knowledge that others may not, and that means that they have potentially more power and control. After all, the most basic maps were simply a way for humans to better understand and control their environment. This can lead to problems concerning equality and fairness. Another problem that may arise over such mathematical representations of the real world is that the real world is not actually as clearly demarcated as it is shown to be on a map. Therefore, while a map can be very useful in showing a certain perspective, one should not rely on a map as the only perspective.

Another important question that arises regarding GIS technology, such as ArcGIS, is the ability one has to manipulate information to create a map with an intentionally skewed representation of the world. This is a problem to be considered regarding all maps, but as maps become more prevalent thanks to GIS so does the occurrence of such practices. Therefore, a map reader must always keep in mind that a map may not always be telling the entire story. Despite these pitfalls, GIS opens up many possibilities and is a valuable resource to society, and it will be very interesting to see how it continues to develop and change the world we live in.