GROUP MEMBERS: Brandon Damelin, Mohammed Albarassi, Patrick Smith, Austin Mohr
For our groups final project, a piece of data visualization that we decided to use was an ArcGIS map created from using the ArcGIS app called Survey123. What is special about this, is that in creating this work of data visualization, ArcGIS Survey123 required the creation of a survey form that could be filled out with the intent to add new data to the map. In our case for the final project, we needed to find a way to portray all the different plants across campus in the different Carleton buildings. Due to this, it was found that by using Survey123, we could achieve exactly what we wanted. Firstly, we made sure to set up the questionnaire to track the coordinates of the found building plants, which could easily be achieved through the click of a button that the Survey123 interface made possible. Moreover, the customized form was also made to include many different questions about the plants, like asking for the plant’s name, how pretty the plant was (on a scale of 1-10), the plant’s color, the plant’s leaf colors, and building location. Not only this, but the form was also able to include a tab that permitted a photo to be captured of the plant. This was perfect as all these results were then able to be compiled onto a map layer, which we then used for our final visual. What this means is that, for each individual form filled out for each plant found, a data point was plotted on the map in the location the plant is located in the real world. And when you click on this plotted point, you can see all other recorded data results for that plant’s survey form which was collected by the team members.
Additionally, to make this visualization even greater, we made sure to make these captured images of the plants from the forms as the representative symbols of the plants on the map. This is because the red dot symbols that were the default option for plotted points were boring and repetitive. We found that this change adds greatly to the vibe of the visualization, and really allows the audience to understand what types of plants were located where around the Carleton campus. Therefore, through this clear illustration of where and the kinds of plants there are around Carleton campus, this mapping technique demonstrates great use for digital humanities projects.
Link to ArcGIS and ArcGIS Survey123 sign-in below: