One
of the interesting and most challenging aspects of cartography is that
of mapping ideas and their ebb and flow in populations.  Think of
trying to dynamically map memes and at what scale.  How, for
example, does the concepts of neo-conservatism or approval of national
health care move through a society and what does that movement look
like on a map?



Recently, following race riots down under, the Sydney Morning Herald
took a crack at trying to map “tolerance.”  While the results are
not perfect, it's a good go at a difficult problem.  Here's how
the CCA blog reported it.



“Mapping Tolerance in Sydney
Published Sunday, December 25, 2005 by CCAer



The Sydney Morning Herald has a story on a map
produced after the Cronulla race riots earlier this month. The map is
based on a survey of 1,800 respondents and was conducted by Associate
Professor Jim Forrest, of Macquarie University, Kevin Dunn, of the University of NSW and others.



From
the article: “Less tolerant areas include outer locations such as
Gosford and Campbelltown, but also culturally mixed areas such as
Bankstown and Ryde. Bankstown has a substantial Muslim population,
while Ryde has many Chinese and Koreans. Culturally diverse areas such
as Parramatta, Marrickville and Penrith, and the suburbs Hurstville,
Randwick and Botany, are tolerant.”



The map
itself is fairly generalized and could use a better colour scheme.
Based on 1,800 respondents across the area, that means that less than
100 residents would determine how a neighbourhood is classed. Still, in
light of recent events in Australia, an interesting map.”