Some great links about subjective cartography passed on to me by Greg Giordano, courtesy of Brain Pickings.

For decades (if not centuries), the credibility of cartographic products (i.e. maps) has been characterized and promoted as purely technical and therefore objective or apolitical. While the techniques and technologies that ensure spatial accuracy and precision (two very different things) are what make maps so valuable, no reputable cartographer or GIS analyst who understands the creation of a map from start to finish would make claims to objectivity.

With the advent of cell phone technology and web mapping applications, cartographic literacy and spatial thinking has risen sharply. The ability to create your own maps (despite continuing constraints of data vintage and cost) has never been easier.

All maps tell a story about space and time, so it’s important to diversify the stories being told as much as possible.