Data Visualization Reflection
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
240
Subject
History
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
1
Uploaded by theemilymarie
Emily Adams
Hist 326-01
13, October 2023
Review of a Digital Humanities Project/ Data Visualization
When looking for a data visualization project to review, I was drawn to Cattle Production
in the American West, 1867- 1935. As a woman in the ag industry and a family of cattle farmers,
I have been taught my whole life about the drive of cattle into the US. The specific purpose of this project was to discover how the railroads impacted the conception of space in the West. The project depicts the changing populations of cattle in the West over seventy years. The data is derived from the initial cattle drive through Fort Worth, TX. There aren’t any details given on where the info came from, how it was gathered or cleaned. This is because there is solely a static copy of the project and no further information. The visualization is a map, that has an adjustable timeline at the bottom where you can move the dot to the date you prefer. As the date changed there were different-sized dots in each state that depicted, how many cattle there were, and how much they were worth in each state. The dots in each state change in size depending on how many million head of cattle there
were. Then get darker in color depending on their worth at that given time. The key historical insight to point out would be, that cattle production began in the Mid-
West and slowly grew there before spreading further and further west. This shows the expansion and drive of cattle, as the discovery and travel to the US became more popular farmers would move cattle along with them to discover the western states. As time went on cattlemen moved from places like Texas and Tennessee and took their families and cattle to places where they could buy more land for less and create a steady homestead in western states like California and Montana. What I like most about the visualization is that it is simple and easy to read. I was drawn to the color as it changed because without reading the key, I was able to assume the darker it got the more the cattle were worth. The artists did a good job of making their points clear to whoever was interacting. I also think they were very successful because they didn’t overdo the detail in the visualization. When there is an abundant amount of information it can be more and more difficult to follow along, and they were able to make their point clear with only two details of information. I am very curious about how the railroads shaped the Western conception of space. Although I assume the cattle movement had to do with the development of the railroad, it is unclear because there isn’t any depiction of the actual railroad development. I believe adding details on the railroad and showing where they are on the map would help to better understand the dependency the cattle and railroad had on the conception of space in the Western states. Going off what I kind of already mentioned I think showing too much detail can be hard to follow. However, when making the claim that the railroads affected the conception of space, I think it would be important to show the locations of the railroad when proving that the cattle movement was because of other special concerns. The point of data visualization is to see what changes happen, therefore I think it is important to show all points that are relevant and may effect what the viewer is seeing.
Discover more documents: Sign up today!
Unlock a world of knowledge! Explore tailored content for a richer learning experience. Here's what you'll get:
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help