Progress
At this point, we are still in the process of formatting our data into useable csv files. We have not talked to anybody, because we are not sure our proposed project necessarily calls for talking to people, but we are open to it if it appears to be a good resource. The four sources we presented in our Source Documentation blog post provide data on graduate school institution names, degree types, quantities of people receiving each degree, undergrad major, ranking, and much more if you open up the possibilities to the Alumni Directory accessible through the Carleton Career Pathways tool. We have almost reached the point of being able to convert the Excel file to a csv, but we need to make sure we have the data we really want to use first.
Problems (+ proposed solutions)
The biggest problem we have run into is that we were not able to move forward with our initial idea for a final project. At one time, we had hoped to map the hometowns and current home addresses of Carleton alumni, which would result in an interactive map showing where Carls have come from in the past, and where they’ve spread to after graduating. We discovered that another group had created an identical project fairly recently, and two other groups in this class are working with Carleton alumni data, so we decided to shift our focus to something more specific (i.e., graduate degrees obtained by alumni).
Tools and Techniques
We are currently using Microsoft Excel for formatting our tables with the various data we’ve obtained. Fortunately, this data is already very clean so while we had at one point planned on using OpenRefine to clean it more, we have agreed this is no longer necessary. Once we have completed the collection of data from our sources, we will convert the Excel file to a csv which is usable in ArcGIS – the application we will be using to map these institutions and the Carls that have continued their education through them.
Deliverables
Tuesday 2/28: finish collecting data and creation of csv files, creation of ArcGIS map and addition of csv layer(s) to map, general map visualization formatting.
Wednesday 3/1: continue adding to/polishing visualization.
Thursday 3/2: finalize visualization, begin presentation work.
Remaining days: fine edits to project and practicing presentation.
Our project’s timeline has shifted a little since we last proposed one because one group member is in the thick of their comps and the others had very full week-8’s, but we are still on track to get everything done with more than enough time to make necessary changes to our later work and practice our presentation materials.
Personal Messages
Jackson: I really have enjoyed getting to create maps using ArcGIS in this class, but I believe my strengths fall more in line with the style and presentation of this project, so I am doing the post writing and taking a lead role on the final presentation.
Alex: I was originally going to do data collection and cleaning with Jackson, but since he took the responsibility of posting for the group, I am doing our data collection and cleaning. I am importing data into Excel from the sources we are using, and turning the Excel into a csv for Austin to use in ArcGIS.
Austin: I am using the csv files made by Alex to create visualizations (maps) using ArcGIS. I am doing it alongside Mia but she is more in charge of the style of the maps and I am focusing on the data itself.
Mia: I am styling our visualizations and making sure they look consistent and professional. I am helping Austin with their creation, but mainly focusing on how they look while he is focusing on what they display and how they’re interactive.
12 thoughts on “Final Project Update: Graduate School Mapping”
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As a student worker for the QRC I have to deal with data issues like this all the time. Sometimes it can be really hard but I am happy to hear you are having such success. I am glad you were able to avoid OpenRefine, personally I find it a little harder than just using Excel. Although I must say it was helpful for my midterm. I wish you success and can’t wait to see how your project turns out.
Being in one of the other alumni-related groups, I too find myself having to remember exactly what the other groups are doing to ensure we don’t produce some overlapping project. I have to constantly make sure that whatever alternative to a problem we seek isn’t something one of the other groups would do.
I’m really excited to see the direction this group takes with mapping and how much detail you choose to input into the data layer that you produce. I personally also found OpenRefine pretty clunky, so it’s good to see that your group was able to find a workaround using Excel.
It seems like you guys have clearly defined roles and a plan of action despite the scheduling challenges, which is really impressive. This sounds like a useful tool that Carleton students could potentially use in the future to see where alumni end up after their years at Carleton. Excel is definitely a better tool to use for smaller changes (in my experience) in the data set due to your data already being clean. Excited to see how this turns out!
I think you’re asking interesting questions using your data (even though a few people have created projects using it before). I also like that you detailed specific goals for specific dates this coming week. That organization will definitely benefit you
I appreciate you how you showed flexibility in what you decided to cover, because of other projects that were already focused on similar topics. Having the dates planned out for when you are doing everything is a really good idea, and it helps yall keep each other accountable, which is really nice in a group project like this.
Hey Jackson, this sounds like a really cool project! I’m interested to see the demographics of Carleton students who got graduate degrees (I think that’s what you’re aiming for now). Sounds like you guys did a great job getting around the problem of not being able to move forward with your initial idea. Good luck on the rest of your project!
Good for you guys for finding a solution to your problem! The realization that you can’t move ahead with your original idea can be very daunting, especially with such a short timeline, so I find it impressive that you found something more specific to take on.
Nice post! Props to you guys for refining the focus of your original project — we’ve had to do the same thing with ours a couple of times already, and I think it’s a normal part of the process. Plus, having a more specific scope will make the results section that much easier.
This was a very similar process to our group. We didn’t have a hard time getting our data into a CSV, but we did have a hard time editing the source data in a form that our data visualization tool could read. Ultimately we decided to try creating a code to help process the data.
This project is really cool. Data on alumni can always be of use for the school or students interested in forming connections. I like the clarity of your post and I think your project is definitely coming together nicely. Good job! I am excited in seeing the final results and possibly using your project for my own purposes as well!
It’s cool to see the update on your project because it seems somewhat parallel to our progress. In that sense it gives me a gauge of how our project is progressing and also maybe some inspiration on how we can address issues we are facing. The proposed timeline you have included is a good reminder for me of all the things we need to get done.