MapLab: The Case for a Cartographer’s Code of Ethics
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump references a map that appears to have been altered by a black marker to extend the hurricane's range to include Alabama.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North AmericaIn the past few years, mapmaking has been democratized thanks to the rise of web-based tools (such as Mapbox or ArcGIS Online) that can be used by mapping hobbyists, enthusiasts and professionals alike. The reach of maps has expanded as well, due in large part to social media. But that’s also made flawed, misleading and flat-out erroneous maps more visible.
Think back to the Trump administration and the infamous Sharpie-altered map of Hurricane Dorian. In September 2019, the hurricane was planned to hit Florida, but Trump insisted that it would hit Alabama as well — a claim the National Weather Service in Alabama rejected. A few days after Trump made this statement, a Sharpie-corrected map popped up on national TV, magically including Alabama in the path of the hurricane. This infuriated the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whose map has been used as a basemap.