Click here to view my data set
Click here to view my map
Creating a map that took into account my daily life was an interesting process. I decided to include my dorm, the two buildings I take my classes in, the dining hall, and Sayles hill. I visit more buildings pretty frequently, but Watson, LDC, Leighton, Sayles, and Weitz seemed to fit the criteria best. I decided to make my base map simple so the information would stand out without being messy. The process of making the map took me a while to get the hang of, particularly because I missed the class that this lab was assigned on. It was a bit difficult to figure out what tabs tools were hidden under but overall arcgis was easy to navigate.
While I was making my map I realized that arcgis, and map making in general, is very helpful to digital humanities as it can be used as a tool for story-telling or arguing something. For example, my map tells the story of where I frequent at Carleton College, but I could change it to show all the academic buildings on campus or what buildings I find most useful. When looking at maps from past decades, they each tell a different story in what the creator found most important. These details might have been different to a person from another background who lived at the same time. In that case, that person’s map may look different from the first person.
Tools to make maps, like arcgis, give digital humanists a new way to display information that may be more efficient than before. For example, Maps can display where certain things or problems are prevalent and where to implement solutions to those problems. There are numerous ways to use maps as a tool to advocate for change within our society.
