The Photogrammar project aims to showcase the mission taken on by the Farm Security Administration – Office of War of providing photographs during one of America’s toughest times: the Great Depression. Photogrammar takes us on an interactive journey of exploring the havoc the Great Depression left in its wake throughout America, allowing users to see the greater history that resides within the country’s map.
It is clear that the source for this project comes from the collection of photographs from the Farm Security Administration – Office of War during the years of 1935 to 1934. In order to receive the necessary support for government programs aimed at providing relief, the FSA-OWI took it upon itself to document this time. The Library of Congress is responsible for cataloging this remarkable collection.
Photogrammar utilizes processes which enhance the interactivity of the project. An interactive map of the United States links places with photographs that portray the particular situation there during the Great Depression. This way, the user is exposed to a sort of “Big Brother-Esque” window into a particular time in our history. A spreadsheet separates components of the map into categories, such as by place, photographer, and date. Within the map, there are two general categorizations which can separate the database by counties and “dots.” These dots basically represent the different photographers and their respective photographs around the map. In addition, there is an option to visualize the 1937 Vico Motor Oil route. Overall, the processes utilized by the programmers build up the complexity of the project.
The “Photogrammar Labs” portion of the site depicts the data tools used to ensure a sleek presentation. The “Treemap” is used to visualize the classification system that Vanderbilt used to categorize the photographs. A “Metadata Dashboard” builds relationships between categories such as date, photographer, county and even subject of the photos according to their respective state. Although it is still in development, this allows for the utmost organization of the site. In addition, a development that is coming soon called “ColorSpace” organizes the color photographs based on different elements of color such as hue and saturation.
Upon entering the site, the user is greeted with a big “Welcome” which directs him/her to a prominent blue “Start Exploring” button that stands in stark contrast to the overall gray, white, and black background. The simplicity of the layout makes navigating much easier. A search option on the top right corner of the site allows the user to easily search any photograph by various categories. The overall way they chose to present the photographs allows them to reach their goal of presenting an interactive visualization of such a hard time in our history.
Great post! You thoroughly explained what the map represents and how to utilize it to search for information based upon location, people and time. Additionally, by reading your post I was compelled to look into the visualizations utilized and envision the connections myself. The Treemap, Metadashboard and ColorSpace were three unique and formerly unbeknownst to me data visualization styles. I am able to see its value now and am excited to see its potential usage for our class project.