Mapping Out
[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=216987665134513771442.0004cc9dbd62678cbb8e8&ie=UTF8&ll=12.991044,-33.9917&spn=80.100339,137.856445&t=h&iwloc=0004cc9ddede31f93b7fe&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Mapping data will prove essential in visualizing certain raw data we come across. Laying things out visually can prove to give us another perspective on the information. In this example, I’ve highlighted the United States epidemic when it come to incarnation. We are by far leading all of the major powers in the world with the number of people we are imprisoning each year. Our crime rates have fluctuated over the years, but our imprisonment rate has steadily increased. When this data is expressed on a global map, we can comparatively look at the United States and other countries around the world.
Thanks for this, Cary. If you had more time, what adjustments would you make to this map so the data are more easily discernible? We can talk through this in class, but you might start by a) linking to the data that you plotted on the map, and b) labeling the data on the data points (730 what?). There are also a variety of adjustments you could make visually to more clearly represent an argument.
Now– what type of raw data related to War on Drugs might lend itself to this type of presentation? Say you had a page on your project filled with 10 maps… what data would best be presented there?
I’m sorry for not clearly labeling the data presented. The numbers are the number of prisoners per 100,000 people in a countries population.
Also, for our project specifically, we could map out the cost of prisons for each major power in the world. Or look into the revenue for each states prison system, and look more closely at their crime rates. Possibly there could be a link between non-violent offenders being more highly incarcerated in certain states that have the highest revenue in e country.