One-sentence brief
A map can look like a measurement even when it is an interpolation, scenario, or uncertain model output. Ethical cartography makes that argument visible.
SIMULATION LITERACY
How map projection, resolution, color, thresholds, borders, animation, and missing data shape what a reader believes.
ORIENTATION
A map can look like a measurement even when it is an interpolation, scenario, or uncertain model output. Ethical cartography makes that argument visible.
WORKING BRIEF
A flat map, globe, hex grid, or local plan distorts different properties. The projection should be chosen for the analytical task and declared to the reader.
Pixel, cell, tile, and administrative-unit size determine what variation is visible. Fine geometry can be paired with coarse data, creating a false sense of local accuracy.
Color scales and class breaks can exaggerate small changes or conceal large ones. Red should not automatically imply guilt, danger, or certainty.
Blank space, zero, no report, and no event are different states. A map should not fill missing regions with neutral-looking values that imply knowledge.
Animation can reveal change but may hide exact values, revisions, and asynchronous reporting. Readers need controls, reduced motion, pause, and frame-by-frame context.
Population layers represent people, not anonymous target density. Public maps should avoid dehumanizing labels, stigmatizing neighborhoods, and point-level disclosure that could expose individuals.
COMPLETE DOSSIER
Terms are defined for this site’s evidence method, not as universal legal or clinical definitions.
RESEARCH EDITION
This page follows the public method for provenance, confidence, source independence, alternative accounts, limitations, review state, and visible correction.
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