James R. A. Davenport used a database of Starbucks locations in the
United States to map the coffee shops’ positions. The database included approximately 85% of
all Starbucks locations across the country, just under 11,000 shops. Davenport connected
the locations using a triangular method. A line is drawn from each location
point to the nearest shop in each direction.
While a location may have multiple lines to and from, connecting lines
do not intersect at any point. Once the
lines were connected, you could clearly see a map with a strikingly similar
shape to a regular map of the United Sates. This means that the Starbucks are
not only spread throughout the whole country, but have a relatively close
proximity to each other.
Davenport not only plotted the coffee shop points, he also analyzed the
percentage of people that lived within a twenty-mile radius of a Starbucks
using US 2010 Census data. What he discovered was shocking. Eighty percent of
the American population lived within the twenty-mile range. Davenport has also
completed some socio-economic research as it relates to Starbucks proximity.
According to his data, the closer a person lies to a Starbucks, the higher their
rent will be. Rents in New York are some the highest in the world and there are
areas where there are over a 100 Starbucks in a 5 mile radius.
This is an example of how many different creative ways of how data and
information can be represented in the form of a map. Additionally, a map can
unveil other characteristics and possibilities for data that is collected.
Although this form of mapping is not the most exact or scientific approach, it
illustrates the multiple applications and limitless boundaries that can be
brought mapping. This was an interesting article that would extend ones
knowledge about how different kinds of information can be represented on a map.
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