For this lab assignment, I created a personalized campus map highlighting five locations I frequent the most at Carleton College: Sayles Hill Campus Center, Myers Hall, LDC, Weitz Center for Creativity, and Skinner Chapel. My approach centered on using data visualization techniques to effectively convey the significance of each location in my daily routine. To make my map more informative, I adjusted the size and color intensity of the point markers based on the frequency of my visits. Locations I visit most often are represented by larger and darker-colored circles, making it easier to grasp their relative importance at a glance. Additionally, I emphasized labels to clearly highlight each building’s name.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was accurately creating polygon features for the building footprints. Unlike freeform sketching tools, the feature editor in ArcGIS seemed to favor rigid geometric shapes, making it difficult to capture the precise outlines of buildings. In retrospect, I considered breaking the structures down into combinations of rectangles for a more accurate representation. It would be useful if ArcGIS had an automated building footprint feature to simplify this process. Moreover, while the ArcGIS platform provides robust tools, I found that its interface was not always intuitive, requiring a learning curve. I had to explore various options and experiment with different settings before becoming comfortable with the workflow.
Beyond technical aspects, this exercise made me reflect on the purpose of mapping. My choices in representation were deeply personal—this map serves my needs, emphasizing locations based on my daily experience. However, if this were designed for a different audience, the representation would shift significantly. For instance, a prospective student might prioritize landmarks and dorm options, while a faculty member might focus on academic buildings. This realization ties into broader Digital Humanities (DH) discussions about representation and bias in maps. Maps are not neutral; they reflect the priorities and perspectives of the creators. Web mapping allows us to customize and share different narratives, making it a powerful tool for research, storytelling, and historical analysis. Creating this map was both a technical and conceptual learning experience. While I faced some difficulties with the tools, the process encouraged me to think critically about what maps communicate and to whom. As I continue exploring ArcGIS, I hope to refine my approach and apply these insights to future projects.
Link to Spreadsheet / Link to Map
3 thoughts on “Lab 6”
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Hi Nina, I thought you brought up a lot of great points in your post. I liked how emphasized how depending on someones activities or role would greatly effect what the location on the map. While everyone in the class has a similar role in this case it would be interesting too see both staff and prospective student maps. I also liked how you we able to encode the relative frequency of your visits through color. It would be great to see your actual maps and how this was done, but conceptually this seems like a great approach to convey this information. Great Job!
Having trouble with the tools to create buildings on your map is really interesting as it points out how far our tools still need to go. Map creating, and digital humanities tools in general, are forever changing and evolving to keep up with modern needs. I am curious to find out how these tools will evolve to fix certain problems and be more accessible.
I really liked how you adjusted the size and color of the point markers to emphasize the locations that you frequent. I feel like this provides much more information than if you hadn’t done this. I also really enjoyed your point about how maps are all about the priorities of its creator. I think it is important for the audience of any map to take this into account and to realize that while a map may be informative, it may still be biased depending on the creators priorities and perspectives.