{"id":239,"date":"2016-04-09T20:40:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-09T20:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-digital\/?page_id=239"},"modified":"2017-10-26T12:52:04","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T12:52:04","slug":"mapping","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-digital\/multi-media-lab\/mapping\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maps can be either primary or secondary sources, but regardless, they always contain some kind of interpretation. \u00a0Sometimes that realization surprises students, especially history students, but it shouldn\u2019t. \u00a0All maps select data and present them from a definite point of view. \u00a0Subway maps highlight routes and stops for mass transit riders. Street maps feature roads and landmarks useful for automobile drivers. \u00a0Maps that analyze historical processes (like election results, demographic patterns, etc.) also present interpretation through their use of data and their visualization framework.<\/p>\n

The wide range of choices involved in map-making should\u00a0become even more obvious in this new digital age where importing data into maps through the use of layers helps transform the\u00a0process into something more obviously interactive and interpretive . \u00a0The integration of data into maps is the hallmark of something known as GIS (geographic information system). \u00a0A few years back, the New York Times\u00a0<\/em>offered a helpful article on how historians are using GIS<\/a> to re-imagine key events from the past, such as the Battle of Gettysburg.<\/p>\n

Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n

Find at least one\u00a0highly “teachable” data maps on the web that offers compelling historical insights and present it (or them) within a short blog post that explains the techniques involved. \u00a0Unlike previous lab assignments, this one does not require you to actually “build” a map on your own (though you could if you wanted to with Google Maps<\/a>,\u00a0WorldMap<\/a> or ArcGis<\/a>), but rather to “find” a map online that presents effective historical analysis. \u00a0You may refer to a single map visualization, or a series of map layers or options that are part of a larger database.<\/p>\n

Guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feel free to seek out and find maps that might be especially useful for your final multi-media web project. \u00a0Or browse these various sources, seeking out compelling examples:<\/p>\n