An alligator bayou has claimed the top prize in an unusual mapping contest. The Bizarre Map Challenge was devised by
The competition was open to US high school, college and university students. The challenge was to create a map that utilised real world data but had an unusual twist. The “bizarre” element could involve unusual map-making techniques or strange topics, or incorporate striking patterns.
The goal was to promote spatial thinking and increase awareness of geospatial technology in students and the public. It should also inspire curiosity about geographic patterns and map representation.
A panel of well known cartographers whittled down the entries to ten. The final winners were selected by a public vote.
The winning entry was created by Christopher Brown, a student at the
“I-Spy”, a map illustrating the spatial distribution of ‘missed connections’, took second prize. It was created by Martha Schnure, a
“I decided to map the missed connections to see if there is any trend in where singles are meeting each other – and if there is any difference between the locations of posts by men and those by women,” Schnure said. “This is a bizarre topic because it is something we can all relate to – making eye contact and smiling at the cutie in the produce section – but it is something that is not taken seriously enough to be considered ‘data’, much less mappable data.”