Remote Sensing Map

http://www.nohrsc.noaa.gov/earth/archive.html

This is a map that was taken from the NOAA website in reference to the amount of snow that was recorded across the globe for January 1, 2008. I think that one of the remote sensing techniques that is being used in Google Earth and in this image would definitely be the active remote sensing of lidar because it seems to me that there is a lot of land covered and that by using satellites and forcing the wavelengths to go where one would want, it could produce an image similar to the one seen above. However, I also think that there is a lot of potential for detail to the photos in Google Earth and that is why I believe that there might also be some other passive remote sensing techniques as well.

Topographic map

http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/topographic-maps/california-topo-map.html

This map is a topographic map of the state of California and is very helpful because it gives more than just the simple x-y coordinate system of most two dimensional maps, it actually shows relief and elevation throughout the state. In this specific map, it is seen that California has a very large range of elevations, probably ranging from high mountain tops, to low lands near the shore. There are a number of reasons why topographic maps are important but a few reasons include plans for building, military operations, mining, and for general use of the land.

Planimetric Map

http://library.humboldt.edu/~rls/geospatial/calmaps.htm

This map is a planimetric map of Yosemite Valley, meaning that there is no vertical position, such as height, that is a part of this map. This map is important because since there is no height represented here, it is a little bit easier to navigate and allows people to get around a certain place easier by only showing them a "minimum" of streets, roads, and important landmarks. Although this might not be an ideal type of map for people who are hiking and need to know if they'll be going up and down mountains, this map is great for tourists that are simply trying to make sure they stay on the correct roads and see all of the important aspects of their trip.

Mental Map

http://go.owu.edu/~jbkrygie/krygier_html/geog_222/geog_222_lo/geog_222_lo13.html

This is a map that a student from Thailand made of what they thought the world looked like. I think this map is really interesting because it shows what a large impact different projections of maps have on people. In this map, two important things to notice are how the countries in the north looked very stretched out, just like a Mercator projection, and also how the detail seems to be a little more accurate in the region or part of the world where this student is from and the further away from their immediate perspective, the more distorted the map becomes.