Maplab

MapLab: Opportunities for Error

A biweekly tour of the ever-expanding cartographic landscape.
A new effort to map the world's human settlements shows built-up areas in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.German Aerospace Center

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An article from ProPublica this week offers a juicy example of how two-dimensional maps have the power to shape three-dimensional space. It tells the saga of Port Covington, a largely empty section of Baltimore, Maryland, that qualified for a coveted federal tax break due to a tiny mapping error.