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Free course

Why maps are made

Free statement of participation on completion
Why maps are made

Cars have sat nav systems, mobile phones use GPS: maps are important in everyday life whether captured by aerial photography, satellite imagery or simply drawn. This free course, Why maps are made, looks at how we read and evaluate the information in maps and assesses the values embedded within them. From mental maps to public transport and street maps: how do they affect your life?

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • identify some of the important characteristics of maps in relation to their value to social science
  • recognise and give examples of how maps can influence our "view" of the world
  • describe the relationship between data and space as represented on a map.

First Published: 10/08/2012

Updated: 03/03/2016

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