The Journey to Baruch College.
First off, mapping this train route is a very frustrating process. More time consuming than I imagine.
From the beginning I had this mindset that this assignment is going to be a cake walk. I thought I will just Google csv files and imported to Google fusion table and click visualize. Well, that did work out like what I expected because not csv has locations where the fusion table can plotted on the map. That plan failed. So I decide to use http://research.google.com/tables to find one table and click visualizes and writes about it. But my historical morale decide this was too easy and that was not what the professors intended us to learn from it. So I ponder and came to the idea, that lets make a map about my commute to Baruch College. How hard could it be? Right………………?
[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=200302427878000694292.0004cc89a522decb2d381&ie=UTF8&ll=40.71548,-73.89885&spn=0.084069,0.175567&t=m&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Boy I was WRONG! The plotting was easy but drawing out the exactly route was a pain in a place sun don’t shine. I could honestly say it took me a good 30 minute to an hour trying to draw out the route, while plotting the location only took 5 minute.
While in the process of making this map, it got me to reflect about the historical thinking that can be applied to my journey to Baruch. What was the reason I taking this route? What are other alternates? What is the thought process behind my decision? How did my past route decision affect today? How might my map become a larger argument? How does it involve Spatial history? Does my map tell a story? “how the spatialization of data deepens your understanding of the data itself?”
I took this route because it’s the fastest route. I have taken other route before; its 30 minute slower. Find the fastest route to Baruch, and this route is the fastest.
The hardest question to me is how my map might become a larger argument and how does it involve spatial history? My answer is I’m not sure. My guess is that, my map could be use, if there ever a historical projects done about the commute to Baruch College. It involves Spatial history because it tell a unique individual story about my journey to Baruch College. The only answer I could come up with for the last questions is that my commute is 11.08 miles to Baruch, give or talk few feet.
The end result was not I exactly expected but it was pretty close.
- Source: My Brain , Google Map
Great post, Guang. It is helpful that you discuss the process, including the steps that you found the most frustrating. I am pleased that you didn’t settle for an easy solution, but hung in there. The best way to learn to use these tools is to wrestle with them.
Regarding the questions you raise about the potential historical significance of the map: I wonder what data you could layer together with your map to enrich the overall meaning. What could happen if you took the HyperCities approach of layering historical maps? Which historic maps would you use? For your group project, you may want to use Fusion Tables because it allows you to create your own maps using historic data.
One more question: What did your experiences working on this map teach you about the potential usefulness of spatial analysis for your final project?