Presented at Midwest Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference Feb 25th, 2011 UWM Discusses how Google, Inc. and Chinese law dictate new virtual landscapes through restriction of mapping mediums and references.

1. Basemapping the Globe Generating Flexible National Borders and Virtual Landscapes By Mark Caldwell, UWM Sociology and GIS

2. Overview: Seeing is Believing Maps in Motion: Production and Medium Imagined Communities Spatial Compression Free and Open: Google, Inc. Implications of Virtual State Control: China

3. Maps in Motion: Production Past 50 years has changed mapping schemes Internet 2.0 has created virtual geographic production Web 2.0 environment allows for user-derived content “Basemaps” are newest geographic medium

4. Maps in Motion: Medium Marshall McLuhan’s “medium as the message” Map projections fix information into a set spatial area Basemaps are created by private enterprises through coding process

5. Imagined Communities and Spatial Compression Created by shared social and cultural beliefs Rise of the nation-state to define spatial borders Basemaps renew sensory perception of these borders User’s demand instant information with no formal training

6. Google, Inc: “Free and Open Mapping” Google, Inc. facilitates the production and storage of geographic information for other countries H.R. 1512 commends Google for advocating uncensored and open internet for all users United States hub for open source mash-ups

8. Need to ensure that mapping information is accurate and does not display “sensitive information”

9. States secret laws mandate 7 to 10 year jail sentence for disclosure of confidential informationNation-state defines virtual map space through policies and laws Corporation define virtual map medium through control of coding and programming

10. So which is worse? A nation-state that restricts through direct law; or a national corporation that restricts by limiting the medium itself. Thank you for Visualizing ! Mark Caldwell, UWM Sociology and GIS mac4@uwm.edu www.gis.sarup.uwm.edu/MAC4