For many people, the blank spots on the map are the most intriguing. What could be going on there? This question is tied to the fact that all map-making is an exercise in selection. As cartographic historian J. B. Harley once claimed, “there is no such thing as empty space on a map.” The activities on the landscape are just simply not depicted.
Empty spaces on maps occur for a variety of reasons. We might not be able to collect the data, we might be restricted from showing it, or we might deem the activities in the location to be unrelated to the map’s purpose. Yet there is always something happening.
This project examined three popular print maps and three digital maps of Washington state to see which areas were consistently left empty. These maps were produced by Google, Microsoft, OpenStreetMap, National Geographic, Rand McNally, and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Several different GIS methods were tested for identifying and mapping the empty spaces. The map below shows a grid of 5km x 5km cells and how many maps were free of any symbols within each cell.
After identifying the maps’ empty spaces, I used field visits, satellite imagery, land ownership records, and other methods to investigate what was happening in these landscapes. It turns out that in many cases, the blank spots in the map of Washington state are essential to urban habits of consumption. They support activities such as lumber production, energy generation, food cultivation, and waste disposal. People also use these spaces to seek recreation and solitude.
View a talk about the project
This talk at the NACIS 2019 conference describes the project and shows from results from preliminary analysis.
Read the final paper
This paper in Cartographic Perspectives details all of the methods and discusses the final results. It includes maps of the empty spaces and photographs of related landscapes.