The map that I chose to observe this week was the Caribbean Cholera Time Map. The map was structured and separated by different time periods. These were: 1833 – 1834, 1850 – 1856, and 1865 – 1872. The data was then broken down under these time periods by months. The map has a timeline that then has bullet points that represent either a hurricane, a tropical storm, cholera outbreak, or an article of news. These are also focal points on the map that then give the location of where the information described is happening. The points are then distinguished by different colors: red- cholera outbreak, blue- hurricanes, green- tropical storm, and yellow- news articles. This then makes it easier to navigate the map and interpret/analyze it better. The information on the map comes from the news articles that are about outbreaks of Cholera around the Caribbean between the years 1833-1856. The people assembling this dataset are whose point of view is reflected on the map. That is because the map is just a way for them to make understanding this data easier for the viewer and to tell their narrative with the information they have gathered on 19th century outbreaks of cholera. The map’s audience seems to be whomever the people who compiled the data want to inform. The visualization of the map is subjective. The data included is from only a certain point in time, and references just a certain geographic location. The information is also only collected from some news articles and there is presumably more articles that may say different things or have different information. The locations highlighted with cholera outbreak are only visible by decades, so data cannot be compared all at once. Thus, the map is biased to a particular perspective.
A different map that could be done could include the same data and information, but make it easier to navigate the time periods. It could be by year, rather than by decade. A heat map would also help in terms of seeing if the events (outbreak, hurricane, storm) looked at on this map were significantly impactful on the population. This would also help clarify and showcase visually if the outbreaks spread more throughout the years, or if they lessened. The viewer would probably navigate the map better and take more out of it. The timeline was a good idea, but it is sort of hard to work with, as it is difficult to scroll through it.
You mentioned that the audience was for whoever the map makers wanted to inform, do you think there is a specific group of people this was targeting? I like how you critiqued the map for only covering a certain point in time, we tend to miss a lot of the rest of the story if we don’t have other dates.
Hi,
I particularly liked reading towards the end of the first paragraph when you mention that the map is bias as cholera outbreaks are only documented every decade, therefore it raises the question, how many people need to be affected for it do be documented as ‘an outbreak’? Personally, I would of liked this map to specify the extent of this outbreaks a little more.
Nice Post.
I thought the website was clever in combining the timeline with the map, however, your comment about its usability is a valid point to be concerned with. It is also of concern that the map only pulls data from certain articles, which can be biased. I agree that the disaggregation of years could be smaller, as that would provide more information to what outbreaks occurred during specific years.
I like that the site allows an individual to scroll through the dates at the top to see the coordinating map. It definitely is an easy way to switch between maps. Also, I think that it is useful that the points are different colors. For example, hurricanes are blue and tropic storms are green. However, I agree that the problem with these maps is that the data from different time periods cannot be compared easily at once.
It’s interesting to consider how the dataset’s mapping can affect the audience’s overall impression and understanding. I think it’s so important to think about how one can map data to make the information more accessible, and more understandable for the public. Great post!