{"id":5018,"date":"2019-12-06T16:05:06","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T16:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/?p=5018"},"modified":"2021-06-15T16:46:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T15:46:05","slug":"apple-maps-and-the-localisation-of-fact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/expertcomment\/apple-maps-and-the-localisation-of-fact\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple, Maps and the Localisation of Fact"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dr Alexander Kent, Reader in Cartography and Geographic Information Science, comments on Apple\u2019s changing portrayal of Crimea.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

According to Apple, Crimea belongs to Russia. Or at least it does if you are using the US technology giant\u2019s Maps or Weather apps inside Russia\u2019s borders. Last week, Apple informed the State Duma (Russia\u2019s lower parliament), that the \u201cinaccuracy\u201d on the company\u2019s maps had been removed. Russia later confirmed that Apple had \u201cbrought the applications on its devices in compliance with the requirements of the Russian legislation\u201d. Google has already agreed to portray Crimea as Russian territory when accessing Google Maps from inside Russia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Using a thicker line to separate Crimea from Ukraine\nmay be cartographically subtle, but geopolitically it is a hugely significant\nmove. Maps are expected to be definitive and immutable statements of fact, yet nation-states\nhave long defined territories on their maps according to their own rules. This ranges\nfrom the use of unique symbologies in the topographic mapping of national\nlandscapes (e.g. Ordnance Survey) to irredentism: claiming territories\nbelonging to other states based on ethnic, historical, or other grounds (e.g.\nArgentina and the Falkland Islands). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emergence of multi-national technology corporations\nas providers of detailed global mapping has changed the way we use maps. Apple\nhas invested heavily in mapping since launching its Maps app in 2012, capturing\nstreet-level data on foot and acquiring 3D imagery and Lidar data. Confident in\nthe transformational power of technology, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on a visit to China in December\n2017, \u201cYou get in the arena,\nbecause nothing ever changes from the sideline\u201d. But in Russia\u2019s case, Google\nand Apple have been the ones to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes the current development particularly significant\nis the pressure that Russia has placed on US corporations to make maps which conform\nto its controversial world view. Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea in 2014 remains\nunrecognized by the wider international community, including the EU and the US.\nResponding to Apple\u2019s move via Twitter, Ukraine\u2019s Minister of Foreign Affairs,\nVadym Prystaiko, urged the corporation to \u201cplease, please stick to high-tech\nand entertainment. Global politics is not your strong side\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to condemnation of the move, Apple said\n\u201cOur intention is to make sure our customers can enjoy using Maps and other\nApple services, everywhere in the world\u201d. The problem is that maps are not\nmeant solely for enjoyment; the move appears to have attracted more global\nattention than the opening of Russia\u2019s $3.7 billion bridge in May 2018 to\nprovide a direct road link to Crimea.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, Apple announced\nthat they were re-thinking their policy on showing disputed territories in their\nMaps app. If we accept that the world according to Apple \u2013 and to\nthe other mapping giants \u2013 should present competing portrayals of national\nterritory depending on where they are accessed, we will enter very murky\nwaters. New technology may enable\nfaster and more accurate methods of capturing and updating spatial data around\nthe globe, but as Apple and its competitors are realizing, mapping the world is\nthe easy bit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr\nAlexander Kent is Reader in Cartography and Geographic Information Science and\nImmediate Past President of the British Cartographic Society. He is also Editor\nof The Cartographic Journal and lectures on maps and geopolitics on the\nGeography programme with Professor Peter Vujakovic.<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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