In the instance of an insert load failure, the project can be viewed here. I hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun making this project with my group.
In this installment of the weekly DGAH 110 lab post, we built a web map to interactively display data. My partners were Scott and A.J.
Although I have not worked with GIS, I have soon learned that it is a very complex and powerful piece of software. Because of the many different ways it is used, picking the solution that will take the least amount of time to install is frequently the toughest issue. As he had previously taken a lesson on it, A.J. assisted Scott and I as we completed the assessment. He admitted that it was among the most difficult classes he had ever taken at Carleton.
I was grateful that A.J. was in my group given my lack of experience. With brief popups that use string formatting to tailor the blurb associated to each data point, we opted to create a very basic model that just connected the stops as input in the CSV file. Sometimes trying to create something basic but very well is the best way to go.
Leaving that aside, it makes no sense to suggest that this program has promise because it has untapped capacity and is a standard in almost all industries where data visualization with a geographic component is required. GIS, in contrast to other types of “data viz,” needs years of training, study, and certification to be used to its full potential. This idea was best relayed to me by A.J. as he took the reins on the assignment due to his vast experience.
In all, I feel like I learned a lot and I am excited that I got exposure to GIS and I had someone so skilled to teach me. I hope we keep on doing stuff like this it was really fun!
2 thoughts on “Map Lab!”
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Nice post! I agree with what you said about GIS as a form of data visualization needing years of training, study, and certification to be of full use and potential. In this sense, GIS seems like a long term investment. If it something that you are really interested in and maybe want to make a career out of, then spending the time to learn the software is definitely valuable. Otherwise, GIS might not be worth the time investment if you just want to explore it and mess around with it.
Great post! I’m glad you had someone in your group who had some previous experience with data visualization. It sounds like that made it a lot less stressful when trying to figure out GIS. I hadn’t really thought about GIS that way before you mentioned it but I think I agree. It seems like something that could be useful if you’re trying to make a career out of it, but probably not worth spending years practicing if it isn’t a major part of your career.