Digital Humanities

Digital mapping is a computerized interface where sets of data are put on a static image to represent something specific. Digital mapping could be made by various software and can be used for many purposes. These maps can be used to represent a specific geographic area, a current situation (ie disease, event), a story etc. There are also medieval maps, topographic maps, political maps and many more specialized in specific fields

Key terms- maps, story, space, layer, static image, item, exhibit, ArcGIS, Neatline, Omeka, similes, waypoints, lines, url.

a) The Psalter Map. This is a colourful illustrated medieval map (https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/psalter-world-map) that represents the world. Upon zooming in, there are prayer writings and initials, some angels and the Virgin Mary.

b) Nowviskie's article ( http://nowviskie.org/2014/neatline-and-visualization-as-interpretation/ ) talks about the importance of how these digital formats play a crucial role in digital humanities and how it can be more expanded. She talks about Neatline and Omeka and emphasizes how they can easily look up manuscripts and archives using these sources, allowing users to know more and learn more.

c) One of the tools that were used in this lesson was ArcGIS. It is a very easy tool that can be used to point points on a map or on a static image to convey a story and to visualize a scene and make interpretations. Such tools like ArcGIS is important when addressing something important happening in the world. For example, the World Health Organization is using ArcGIS to illustrates the number of COVID -19 cases in each country (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd ). It is being updated on a regular basis including the number of deaths and recoveries. For such purposes like these in the future; ArcGIS will be an essential tool.

d) What strikes me is the infrastructure of these digital mapping sites. The ease and flexibility to create maps on these sites within minutes are quite amusing. I always thought to create a map includes a critical process. But after this course, I now realize how easy these tools are to utilize. While there are risks to lose data or progress users should be aware of preparing multiple backups to avoid such situations.