Prior to class when I was reading A. R. P. Rau’s article about maps being so versatile, it got me thinking. Since my project already has to do with landscape, and therefore maps, I could immediately see the relevance and connections between the article and my project. Visuals are incredibly important when trying to captivate an audience, and I want to include as I can while still keeping them interactive and meaningful.
Maps are going to be an important aspect of my project. Since I am dealing with a specific area with roads, buildings, and pedestrian traffic, maps are needed to show my audience what I am dealing with. Without a map, they might be unsure of the significance of my research.
Besides representing geographical locations, maps can also show a number of different things. For example, maps can be represented as graphs. For example, this image (below) shows the number of confirmed human west nile virus cases through a topographical graph:
3D Map/Graph of the United States
I thought this was an extremely cool and interesting image that represented the statistics in a very meaningful way. The contrast of the colors, as well as the topography of each state makes it such a quality map/graph.
Topographical maps are another visual component that I want to incorporate into my final project. Seen below, areas with different heights (in regard to sea level) are color coated, and it is easy to see where mountains, valleys, and other land forms are:
Topographical Map
Week 10 is coming fast and I need to be more efficient with my time in preparation for this project. I want to achieve great things but I’m afraid only time will tell…I’m time-lapsing different spots of campus tomorrow (2/18) and will contact Dean Walton as soon as I’m done with that. Feeling excited for the next few weeks, let’s get it!
Click on image to dance