Overall, I feel that my group and I made well-informed decisions in creating our final model and map. In taking pictures of the artifact, I believe I was able to capture as many angles and details as possible without getting too close to and potentially touching the artifact. There are definitely some shots I wish could’ve taken such as getting more pictures of the underside of the object, but I didn’t want to risk getting too close to the object. It took a bit of time to upload all the 76 photos into Recap and then for the software to 3D model it, but fortunately my group did it pretty early so we were able to get our virtual model relatively quickly. I was expecting the model to be more detailed and match the colors of the artifact in real life but I realize now that we may need to use more sophisticated modeling software for that to occur. Uploading to Omeka and creating the map of the artifact’s journey was not too bad and proved to be interesting as we got to learn about where it came from and how it ended up at Carleton.
A big part of the digital humanities is using digital tools to model data collected about artifacts and historical events, and web mapping allows digital humanists to do just that. Whether it be tracking the movement of ancient relics or modeling the path people during great migrations and wars, web mapping helps scholars and the general population learn about the processes people went through back then to create the world we live in today. The use of lines, overlaying, and points on a modern map allows us to visualize the actions those took in the past and the changes that occurred over time. We may not be able to get 100% of the full picture but we certainly can get a decent portion of it with these innovations.
ArcGIS was honestly more user-friendly than I thought it was going to be. I still had to learn how to access different map styles, create layers for points and lines, and overlay my David Rumsey Map, but the learning curve for all these features was not that steep. I believe that ArcGIS has a plethora of features that help digital humanists accomplish the goals and tasks I mentioned before. Being able to create connections between places and events is key in studying out past and the features ArcGIS offers allows for that to occur and be reflected in whatever style one wants.
Nice work, Nithin! I definitely agree that ArcGIS was way simpler than I thought it was gonna be. It looks intimidating at first but it’s actually pretty user-friendly. It can absolutely be a huge tool for digital humanists now and in the future. Did you have any trouble with the map during the mapping process, as I know some people, including myself, struggled with creating lines?