My campus map includes Cowling Gym, Goodhue Hall, Anderson Hall, Center for Math and Computing, and Burton Hall. I wanted to include a location that represents each part of my college experience: dorm life, athletics, academics, and dining. After creating my set of locations in a spreadsheet, I moved them into the ArcGIS mapping tool. My goal for this map was to describe how often and for what purpose I visited these buildings. I also wanted it to be easy to understand and intuitive.
Next, I added pins for each location. I sized the pins relative to how frequently I visited each location. Then, I moved to the labeling tool. I created labels for location name and type. I adjusted the visibility setting to show location names from a large distance and location types at a close distance. This choice gave my map an extra layer of information while still avoiding a cluttered design. In a more involved project, I would include labels that further described why each location was important to me.
Finally, I traced polygon shapes to represent each of my buildings. I chose a fill color and tweaked the coordinates of my locations to fit within each respective polygon. I wanted to make the polygons neatly stand out from the background. My final map can be found below.
The possibilities for tools like ArcGIS are unlimited. Being able to describe datasets with thoughtful visualizations is a core aspect of digital humanities work. Instead of writing papers or creating graphs, digital humanists could communicate their ideas in an engaging and intuitive manner. These visualizations could spark interest in DH projects and processes.
ArcGIS is perhaps the most robust tool for web mapping. In this project, I used layers, symbolism, labels, and transparency. Even though my goals were fairly simple, I was super impressed by all of the options ArcGIS had to offer. I could easily see how this this tool could be used to tackle more complicated ideas like story maps and interactive visualizations. This program can be applied to a variety of fields and I am excited to see how scholars and researchers use it to make data accessible.
Great work on your map! I love the choice to size the pins based on how often you frequent the place; however, they are slightly difficult to see because the polygons are a similar green. Adjusting one of the colors might help the viewer. Your polygon layer is very sleek and clean, and I also really like that your labels include not only the building name but also the building type.