Week 3 LAB

View JusticeCorps Courthouses in a larger map This map is a trip around the Los Angeles County courthouses where I volunteered with self-represented litigants in cases involving housing law and family law from August 2011 until July 2012. With each courthouse, I will detail a humorous anecdote of some of my favorite litigants that I assisted during my year with the JusticeCorps program. It begins with the red map marker at the Los Angeles Downtown Superior Court and continues on until it ends at the pink marker signifying the Compton courthouse.

My personal neogeography map retains some of the pitfalls, potential, and consequences that befall all neogeographic maps. To start, a pitfall of neogeography is the questioning of authority and content of the map information. In the specific case of my L.A. County courthouses map, one may question my authority on creating a map with this content. Particularly problematic for some is the gray lines used to document my transition between courthouses. These lines are not meant to reflect an exact route between two given courthouses, but rather, simply to show the general movement that I followed throughout the year. However, the personal nature of neogeography means that another viewer may or may not question the use of these lines and read some incorrect information based off of what I have chosen to portray.

One of the greatest potentials of neogeography involves the widespread movement of information and mapping knowledge across the public sphere. Everyone is now capable of building their own neogeographic map. My personal map has the potential to tune into the good works and resources of either the JusticeCorps program or the many courthouses of the L.A. district in general. Lastly, a general consequence of neogeography is the cost of decreased privacy, which comes with the increase of navigational information. Personally, this map reveals where I have worked, what I did while I was there, and who I interacted with. Although I may not take issue with this consequence in this scenario, it is still a serious consequence for other neogeographic maps.