Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality (OCSE)

The Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality (OCSE) is a fictional group featured in the television series The West Wing (as seen above).

They appear in the Season 2 episode titled “Somebody’s Going to Emergency, Somebody’s Going to Jail,” during the show’s “Big Block of Cheese Day,” an event where White House staffers meet with fringe or unconventional advocacy groups.

The OCSE advocates for the adoption of the Gall-Peters projection map in U.S. education, arguing that the traditional Mercator projection distorts the relative sizes of countries, giving undue prominence to the Northern Hemisphere and underrepresenting equatorial regions.

In the episode, the OCSE representatives present an inverted Gall-Peters projection map to Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, challenging conventional perceptions of geography and emphasizing the sociopolitical implications of map design.

While the scene is delivered with a degree of humor, it brings attention to the idea that map projections are not neutral and can reflect and perpetuate power dynamics

Real-World Counterparts and Movements

Although the OCSE is fictional, its concerns mirror real-world discussions in the field of critical cartography, which examines how maps can reflect and reinforce societal power structures.

This discipline explores how traditional mapping practices have often marginalized certain groups and perspectives.

Several real-world organizations and movements align with the principles highlighted by the OCSE:

Map Kibera: Initiated in 2009, this project involved residents of Kibera, Nairobi, one of Africa’s largest informal settlements, in creating detailed maps of their community. Prior to this, Kibera was often depicted as a blank space on official maps. The participatory mapping effort empowered locals to document their environment, leading to improved visibility and resource allocation.
Geochicas: A collective of feminist mappers associated with OpenStreetMap, Geochicas works to address the gender gap in mapping and to highlight issues affecting women and marginalized communities. Their projects include mapping femicides and analysing the representation of women’s names in street nomenclature across Latin America .
Ushahidi: Originating in Kenya, Ushahidi is an open-source platform that allows users to crowdsource and map data, particularly during crises. It has been employed globally for election monitoring, disaster response, and tracking incidents of violence, providing a tool for communities to share real-time information.
Guerrilla Cartography: This initiative produces thematic atlases that challenge traditional narratives through collaborative mapping. Projects like “Food: An Atlas” compile diverse maps on food systems, aiming to provoke thought and inspire change regarding social and environmental issues.
ESRI’s Equity and Social Justice Community: Esri, a leading GIS software company, has developed resources and tools aimed at promoting equity and social justice. Their initiatives support organizations in using GIS to address issues like environmental justice, public health disparities, and community development.