Open-Source Geography

My participation in this year’s ESRI conference is over, but I must say I had a blast. It was overwhelming and interesting and re-ignited my passions for maps and other cartographic and geospatial technologies.

However, being someone who keeps track of conspiracy theories, I have to say that whoever chose “Eye in the Sky” by the Alan Parson Project for a theme for the Defense, Homeland Security and Intelligence Showcase runs counter to advocates of privacy in an era of ubiquitous computing and geospatial technologies. This is exactly what Alex Jones is taking about when discussing the concept of “hidden in plain sight” and provides him with a bit more mainstream credibility.

Though it may be a memorable song, the last time I heard it was when I saw Alan Parsons at Wolftrap in 2002. It is no coincidence that the song should be playing, especially considering that it is not difficult to decipher its meaning. The song itself is about 1984-esque themes of Government Control and spying on the public. Though I agree that intelligence gathering and defense related matters are as important as matters of social justice, environmental quality and urban planning, the choice of that song was in very poor taste.

Am I wrong here? Consider the chorus:

Chorus:
I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind
I am the maker of rules
Dealing with fools
I can cheat you blind
And I dont need to see any more
To know that
I can read your mind, I can read your mind

Sometimes, serious research results in delightful finds. This is the case when I happened upon PhD Comics: A Grad Student Comic Strip. PhD Comic, which in this case stands for Piled Higher and Deeper, provides an accurate portrait of the modern academic experience. The artist is Jorge Cham started the comic at Stanford, and with some clever crowdsourcing from the student body, has consistently delivered an average of 25 comics a semester since the Fall of 1997. In that time, he amassed enough material for 3 books.

With so much material, it is kind of difficult to pick a few to highlight, but I particularly like the ones with graphs. For example, this May 3, 1999 Comic is titled “Grad Student Work Output” made me smile.

or this one about the correlation of Campus Architecture and Parental Contributions

Anyway, a good place to start may be the List of Comics archive, but if you were to get a PhD in PhD Comics, consider showing Jorge your appreciation by buying the book.

Having taught four semesters (18 credit hours) as an Adjunct Geography Professor at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, VA, I have come up with a few conclusions about the relationship between a students and their professors. These few points are intended for both students and aspiring professors. As a student, remember these so that you can walk into the classroom with confidence that you are an adult. As an aspiring professor, keep these tips in mind as your prepare for your student’s.

• A student’s work has value beyond the classroom.

• Student’s should tailor their work, papers and presentations, to the class not the professor.

• The professor is no more intelligent than you. They have only read more than you.

• The professor should not view themselves as a lecturer but as a developer of colleagues.

• Conversations are more informative than lectures.

• Its not what you know, but how to find it.

• Focus on quality, not the grades.

• You learn more by being wrong than you do by being quiet. Speak Up!

• A student is an early stage of professional life and should be expected to act and work in a professional manner.

• A professor should be able to use the tools of their students and vice versa.

• To Reiterate: A student’s work has value beyond the classroom. The professor’s job is to show the student that value.