Month: May 2024

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Erin Buglewicz, Stage 6: Review of Maddey King’s Final Project

This story map provided a detailed explanation of school access and race in Omaha. The project established the history of redlining and white flight, which created a form of unofficial segregation in schools, especially in North and South Omaha. It also explored how private schools enabled parents to avoid placing their children in integrated schools until it was declared unconstitutional in 1976. Finally, the story map delineated different eras in Omaha, such as when integration was ordered and some students were bussed to schools outside of their neighborhoods in an attempt to correct racial imbalance and also after mandatory integration ended in 1999.

This story map had many strengths. At the beginning, it acknowledged the limits of data collection, which is important to understand, and the timeline that was included allowed me to understand the different eras that the story map would discuss. Throughout, there was also a nice inclusion of brief videos that discussed topics such as the difficulties of desegregating after the Brown v. Board of Education decision as well as an explanation of Runyon v. McCrary. The maps themselves were generally clear and effective. Plus, in particular, it is important to note that the maps that referred to different races were made in an ethical manner by not using colors like white and black to represent them. 

Although effective, there are still some areas where the story map could be improved. For example, in the introduction, I did not find a clear thesis statement or a specific historical question that the story map addressed. Although the story map presents a strong argument for the intersection between race and schools in Omaha, it seems that a thesis statement that presents a claim about this topic is present in the conclusion. Another area of improvement is in the maps themselves. I think that a few of the maps could have been layered together to create a stronger argument. For instance, using the choropleth of race in Omaha with a map of top and bottom performing schools could have more effectively conveyed the argument that schools with worse performance rates are in areas with that have larger populations of African Americans. Moreover, it would also be helpful to see separate maps for elementary and high schools rather than have them included together.

Overall though, this was still an effective story map with well-supported claims.

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Stage No. 6 – Criticism –

Theresa Borkowski’s story map informs its viewers on the spread of the AIDS epidemic across a wide array of subject groups in California. The time they center their maps depicting the impact AIDS had on different groups is 1985, at the height of the AIDS epidemic in California.

“I chose to research 1985 because I wanted to account for the time that had passed to ensure that my data was at the height of the epidemic.”

Theresa Borkowski

Borkowski’s story map was overall concise and straightforward, but the explanations they gave on the first four slides worked especially well in setting up the presentation. The first and second slides worked to give the reader some contextual understanding of the environment the AIDS epidemic took place in. The third and fourth explained well what AIDS, scientifically was. how it could be spread, and the symptoms its carriers experienced.

However. For a presentation that’s goal was to inform on the impact AIDS had on various groups and communities across California, it did very little to show it’s viewers the realistic impact AIDS had on the groups they discussed. Not only was the legend below all of their maps a dark grey color on top of a dark grey background, the colors used to identify the varying topics (ethnicity, age, speed(?)) were described through words or numbers instead of the colors they were identified with on the map. Making it difficult for me to say with certainty which color identified which group. There were also no numbers identifying how much quantified the number 1 darkest shade. There were also unfortunately no citations for me to go to in order to better understand the impact of AIDs. I don’t believe numbers are the exclusive, best way to understand impact either though. Throughout the presentation I felt that the descriptions accompanying the maps and legends were sterile and at times I found myself thinking “Why is this important?” Despite having relatives who were directly impacted by AIDS and identifying as part of the “alphabet mafia(as the young ones are calling it nowadays)”. Of course, my opinions are purely subjective and could be wrong though.

The final two slides in the conclusion worked well to draw viewers back in through the good information on all of the possible medical treatments available to treat AIDS today and the progress it took to get here.

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Stage 6 – Michael to Wyatt

Wyatt Greco’s “Deindustrialization and Demographics” of Michigan and West Virginia presents a convincing argument of the deindustrialization linked to an area’s core industry; In this case being the automobile, and coal industry. The time period he is studying is the 1940s to 80s and from 1980 to, 2020. During this time, Greco could link the deindustrialization of Michigan and West Virginia to the decline in population density. This is shown through the two maps he has created, with red being the decline in population as mines and factories are shut down. Greco concludes that while there is a correlation between deindustrialization and the decreasing population density, that is not the only factor that is at play here. Public policy and other economic factors have also led to the decrease in population density.

Greco’s maps are clear and to the point. They provide a good basis for his argument and show a great understanding of his topic. The instructions were clear and accurate, with the sources clearly labelled and cited. Greco provides a convincing argument on how deindustrialization has affected these areas.

Greco’s methodology is sound; however, he does not explain why he is using density rather than a percentage change in population. Maps are clear, with points of interest clearly labelled, but a legend would be nice to help the reader along with the assumption that density has increased, particularly if we are not interested in reading over the methodology.

Overall, Greco did a superb job in summarizing and presenting his argument. None of his claims are unsupported and his argument is presented eloquently and to the point.

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Stage 6 – Response to Marie Amelse – Evan Murphy

Marie’s map focuses on the building of the Minnesota Capitol building, focusing on the construction of the second capitol building, after the first one burned down in 1881. Marie discusses the methods used to construct the capitol, the architects and contractors that built the capitol, and the controversies that have and continue to surround the capitol. Most recently on the statues named the virtues, of which two have gone missing and at least one has been destroyed. These modern controversies make the history of the building more notable to Minnesotan readers. The mapping project overall got across a complete history of the construction of the Minnesota capitol in a concise manner, as well as giving some maps to help understand the project overall. The first map seemed dis-conjoined from the narrative of the story map, although the second one feels well introduced. As far as the quality of the project, it was well done. I feel like some more Civil War history or analysis around the controversy of Georgian marble could have been further explored to a good effect. Introducing a map of battles where Georgia and Minnesotan troops fought may have been interesting as well. I think that more information on the marble in general would have been interesting, as I know that the quarries near St Cloud are now a park, you could have touched on the enrichment of the state overall by the construction of the capitol, although that does seem slightly out of the scope of the project. I would also say that it seemed like the maps were less essential to the project than I was expecting, although I did enjoy the use of mapped locations with specific information. The use of photographs within the map was creative and well used, I liked the side scroller that let you read while looking at new photographs. A feature like that makes a story map look professional. I looked through Marie’s references as well and it looked like there was a good amount of primary document work as well. Overall, Marie’s map was effective at educating on the construction of the Minnesota state capitol, while giving some insight into more modern history with the controversies of the virtues.

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Stage 6: Isabel Blackford to Payton Mlakar

What truly makes this map special for me is how this topic very clearly mirrors my own which I can only assume is why Dr. Sundberg paired us together. Overall, it is very apparent and a lot of time and effort went into this map and Payton was very thorough when creating this map. This leads to my observation that this map seemed a little excessive in the amount of content it included, while it shows the author is well versed in the material it does seem a little like words were just strewn across the story map when it could be communicated more effectively. There was couple sections that I believe could have been cut out entirely since they did not really relate to the thesis and seemed to just be fun facts that did not need an entire section dedicated to it. Additionally in terms of the in-text portion there were a few grammar and punctuation errors that I noticed as well and there were a few times the wording that was used was confusing. I loved all the visuals of the story map which I believed made the map come together and more effectively show the audience what was being written about/ mapped out. The map included in the Leadville: The Early Years I wish would have a more dramatic difference in color to show the difference in population because although I am able to see the topographic lines meant to show the difference in population I am unable to visually see much outside of those lines since the colors do not seem to change.

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Stage 6 Levi Laib to Emily Gaddy

Emily presented a story map project that looked at How Omaha’s North Freeway paved the way to inequality and how Omaha is racially segregated. To do this, Emily looked at racism on the frontier and how it was seen in Omaha. She then discussed Redlining and what it is, providing the HOLC map of Omaha. Afterward, Emily discusses road building specifically the North Freeway. She provides background information on the interstage system and why it was implemented. She also discusses freeway revolts and how Omahans reacted to new freeways being built. She ends her project by talking about how people are trying to reconcile what was done.

I enjoyed overall how the story map was set up. It first discusses racism and segregation by focusing on the nation and then narrowing it down to Omaha. I also enjoyed how it gave background information on how the highway wars were in other cities across the nation. I also enjoyed the images throughout the project and how the maps were analyzed. I also liked the slide bar for the various maps and images, especially the one showing how Omaha has changed from 1962 to 1972. Another strength of the project was the inclusion of the reconciliation. I feel it provides the audience with information on what is being done about this currently. A final strength was the use of sources.

One critique I have of the story map is the lack of a conclusion as a way to wrap things up. While I enjoyed the section about reconciliation, I don’t feel it serves the best as a conclusion. Something else that could have been included is how the interstate systems in Omaha still affect Omaha today. It does talk about how it is still seen today, but potentially a census data map of Omaha currently could have helped show how it is still in effect. While I know we looked at Redlining in Omaha in class, I feel the story map could have benefited from it. Another critique I have is of the HOLC map compared to the 1960s census. I feel the colors of the sections should have been the same colors as other HOLC maps where A = green, D = Red, etc. Otherwise, a map key would have been useful. The caption gives what the colors represent for the census map but not for the HOLC map. I don’t feel the project made any claims that it did not support.

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Stage 6 – Wyatt Greco to Michael Lau

Michael Lau’s “Asbestos Mines in the United States” studies the potential effect of decreased asbestos demand (due to health revelations and government bans) on U.S. populations near asbestos mines. To study the relationship between asbestos mine closure and population change, Lau created two interactive products. The first contains two maps of asbestos extraction sites, with one showing population change from 1970-1980 (when asbestos mining peaked) and the other covering 1980-1990 (following the publication of a landmark federal study). For his second interactive, Lau maps population change in comparison to former asbestos mines in a single locale (Aston Township), illustrating that the presence of former mines did not necessarily hinder population growth. Ultimately, Lau concludes that census-tract-level analysis reveals no strong correlation between population decline and changes to the asbestos industry.

Lau effectively sets the stage for his project; the timeline of asbestos production and banning explored in the background section well justifies the time period of his study. Despite the rather large scale of the first interactive (that scale being the entire United States), the number of features is not overwhelming to the eye. Types of asbestos extraction sites are clearly distinguishable from one another, and the slide function allows for the user to easily identify changing census tracts. For both interactives (national and local), the choropleth color scale easily distinguishes between increasing and decreasing percent change in population (as well as the relative amount of that change in either direction for each tract with data). Finally, by acknowledging the limitations of census-level data and analysis, Lau does not make any claims which his data does not support.

If Lau were to continue developing his project, he might consider adjusting pop-ups (which appear when any feature is selected) to show only the most relevant information, such as population change in a particular census tract or the closure date of a particular mine. Lau could also consider narrowing the scale of his mapping to only one or two regions with asbestos mines. This would focus the project and reinforce its primary argument. Additionally, if these focus regions are rural, county-level data could be used in lieu of census tract data. Then again, counties can be large and not as descriptive of particular settlements as census tracts. Lau is certainly correct in pointing out the challenges of gathering data on rural areas and niche (but potentially impactful) local industries.

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Stage 6 – Peer Review by Payton Mlakar of “The Growth of California During the Gold Rush” by Isabel Blackford

This project details the population growth in California that resulted from the California Gold Rush in the mid-to-late 1800s. The project begins by exploring two case studies of mining towns established during the California Gold Rush, contrasting the different fates of Nevada City and Bodie. The project then explores population growth and contraction before, during, and after the gold rush. In its final section, the project describes Chinese migration, settlement, and discrimination in California during and after the gold rush. The crux of this project’s argument is that the California Gold Rush transformed California from a sparsely-populated, rural region, to a state full of bustling metropolises and thriving industry. This growth was sustained by California’s connection to the East Coast via the Trans-Continental Railroad which Chinese immigrants built while facing constant discrimination.

The greatest strength of this project’s maps are their readability. Each map in this project has superb color contrast, color gradients, and easy-to-see vector features. Their readability makes these maps easy-to-use and appealing to the reader. Anywhere they were included in the project they added to my understanding of the project’s themes and supported the project’s historical argument. One map I found particularly useful and informative was the “Heat map of Gold Rush settlements.” This map helped me visualize where gold rush settlements were and how the epicenter of the gold rush coincided with areas with the greatest population growth and contraction.

One facet of this project that could be improved is using GIS maps in the sections on Nevada City and Bodie to highlight where these two mining towns were in relation to other mining settlements in California. Contrasting the stories of Nevada City and Bodie is a superb part of this project that does a great job of introducing readers to the California Gold Rush. However, these two case studies could benefit from having their own respective maps that highlight where these two towns are located in California. These maps could even include popups that could provide population graphs and other helpful information. Another improvement that could make the maps in this project even more readable would be to include a legend on them, particularly the choropleths. Including a legend on these maps would ensure the reader understands each map and its argument accurately.

Overall, this was an excellent and informative project that clearly drew on class instruction on mapping conventions, best practices, and GIS methods.

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Stage 6

  1. Levi’s map argues that the Great Migration impacted Denver’s North Point Neighborhood by the number of Black people that increasingly moved into the neighborhood. Levi shows census data that shows the increasing number of Black people within Denver’s North Point and also new buildings such as a YMCA.
  2. I really liked how thorough the data was that they collected for their map. The number of maps included also really adds to the argument. There are a multiple number of maps throughout the storymap that add to the story and they’re all super well done. All of the maps are really organized.
  3. I think for Levi’s storymap I would have considered writing more text. This could just be because I love to talk and tell stories, but I think that element could have been used a bit more, especially to add on to the story of the maps. I wish there was more background on the Great Migration and specifically how segregation spread throughout Colorado. I feel as if the HOLC is briefly touched on, but I wish I knew more about how it was Colorado and Four Points specific. I also wished there was more about the culture of the neighborhood, knowing that famous jazz musicians were from the neighborhood. I think all of the claims are fully supported, however, and that is done very well with maps to back them up.
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Stage 6 – Declan Dunham to Emma Reed

Overall, I think your project was excellent! The German refugee crisis is still an ongoing issue today. I believe you did a good job explaining the causes of this crisis, as well as, the effects of this crisis. However, there is a clear topic for this project, but not a clear thesis. You state that you are examining the refugee crisis and its relationship with the unemployment rate. What about the relationship? Here, I do not see a clear argument. 

It was very helpful to give the audience an understanding of this crisis. Your timeline was excellent and provided very important background information. Your first map offers a great insight into the exact amount of refugees coming into Europe. It is also a great way of showing exactly how many more refugees are coming into Germany. 

In your unemployment section, you did a good job of explaining the unemployment rate in Germany. The map you used to show the relationship between the foreign-born population and the unemployment rate worked very well. As the reader, you can clearly see the correlation between the two. 

As this is a History class, it would have been advantageous if you added a Historiography section to your project. This would allow me to see what perspective you are researching this from. It would also allow me to see any of the biases you may have implemented. 

Again, I thought this project was very thought-provoking as it would allow for the continued discourse on this topic. 

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