As part of our development of Critical Urbanism at E.H.U., I am interested in the opportunities for mapping offered by Web 2.0. A resource I am working with in this respect is http://geocommons.com.
This resource enables the making, sharing and consulting of maps, by both students and teachers, from spatial data.
Using the Resource
Maps are made by uploading data stored in tabular form – in the form of a csv file. The table must also contain geographical data, but this can simply be stored in the form of addresses of the relevant information and thus is readily accessible for users. The resource then guides through the process of how to turn this information into an intelligible and aesthetically interesting map. For an example see the animated map of the spread of the opening of Wall Mart stores through the U.S. over time: http://geocommons.com/maps/85394
Advantages
Enabling students to create their own maps
Encouraging students to spatially record observations of social phenomena
Allowing students to view and thus comment on each others’ maps
Multiplying and diversifying the types of phenomena recorded in maps
Potential Problems
I confess that I have not actually made a map using this resource yet, so I have not tested in practice how time efficient or useful it is.
Ben, it looks like an interesting application. Just want to nuance its function. You think producing a map with this software can be an assignment which is graded? I think it is rather an interesting software to present research results. Maybe in our course we ask students to use one map in order to illustrate paper's major argument (one of the major arguments)? This, I think, will encourage students to create complex maps which are more than visualizations for the sake of visualization.
ReplyDeleteSiarhei, Thanks for the question. I am not yet sure how it might best be used, but asking students to use a map to illustrate a major argument might be a good way of encouraging them to think about how to spatially record social data. I guess a worry would be that such a map might fix them to a particular spatial scale and a too easy priveliging of real geographical space over the social production of space. But perhaps it could also be an interesting critical tool. I plan to try make an experimental map, for instance of Praga bars charging 8zl or more for piwo as of now, to see how workable the ressource is in 'our spaces'. I guess I will only have time for this around early December.
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