Week 1 Lab

http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/

This map was made by Robert J. Vanderbei, a professor at Princeton University . It shows the population density of the US, based on data from the US census, by equating one white dot to 7,500 people. Dark areas are either devoid of people or have a population density of less than 7,500. I find this map interesting because the black and white contrast dramatically highlights the population and population density differences of different regions. In general, the eastern half of the country is markedly more populated than the western half.



















http://www.smvrr.com/

This map comes from the Santa Maria Valley Railroad website. The map colorfully illustrates the various railroad lines of North America by assigning different colors to different railroad lines. The map also shows that railroads appear to be especially prevalent in the eastern half of the US and the southwestern portion of Canada. Railroad prevalence drops markedly in the western half of the US, the rest of Canada, and the Latin countries. I find this map interesting mainly because of the significant difference in one form of public transportation, the railroads, between eastern and western US. Although California is the most populated state in the US, California lacks the extensive railroad networks that crisscrosses much of the eastern US.

















http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2009/10/22/los-angeles-has-big-transit-ambitions-but-which-project-comes-first/

This map comes from the article "Los Angeles Has Big Transit Ambitions, But Which Project Comes First?." The map shows Los Angeles's various existing public transportation networks--railroads, streetcars, subways, and bus routes--and proposed ones. I find the map interesting because it shows that Los Angeles, though a very car centric city, does provide varied public transportation options no matter how meager it is. Nonetheless, the map is optimistic because it shows that public transportation development in Los Angeles is not stymied and poised for considerable growth. For example, the subway line along Wilshire street, the purple line, will be extended by more than half, passing through Westwood. This means that UCLA students will be able to travel to popular areas like downtown LA and Santa Monica beach by way of the efficient subway system alone, bypassing dreary buses or avoiding hopping from one transportation system to another.