Class One: Basic concepts; spatial thinking; choropleth maps
Table of contents
Overview
In this introductory session, we will use the required readings to reflect, in general terms, on how spatial data and “spatial thinking” might inform your current (or future) research projects. The in-class exercise will introduce you to the basic process of transforming a tabular dataset into a choropleth map.
Readings
Required Readings
Logan, John. 2012. “Making a Place for Space: Spatial Thinking in Social Science.” Annual Review of Sociology 38: 507-524.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071811-145531.Gleditsch, Kristian Skrede, and Nils B. Weidmann. 2012. “Richardson in the Information Age: Geographic Information Systems and Spatial Data in International Studies.” International Studies Quarterly 15: 461-481.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-031710-112604.
Optional Readings
Rogers, Simon. 2013. “John Snow’s data journalism: the cholera map that changed the world”. The Guardian. March 15, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/mar/15/john-snow-cholera-map
Coleman, Thomas. 2019. “Causality in the time of Cholera: John Snow as a Prototype for Causal Inference.” Working Paper. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3262234
Behm, Dayna, Tony Bryan, Joshua Lordemann, and Steven R. Thomas. 2018. “The Past, Present and Future of Geospatial Data Use: Exploring the uses of geospatial data in retail, health care, financial services, and transportation/logistics.” February 1, 2018. https://trajectorymagazine.com/past-present-future-geospatial-data-use/
Class Notes/Tutorial
Useful resources
- Cartography Guide by Axis Maps
- Choropleth Map Guide
Assignment
Due by the beginning of next class (April 11) via email.
Please make a choropleth map that shows how a variable you are interested in varies across a given set of geographic units. You are welcome to hew closely to the class tutorial, and map a World Bank WDI variable of your choice. However, you are also encouraged to move in different directions, and create a choropleth map that is relevant to one of your research interests. If you are looking for a spatial dataset to which you can join the tabular data you want to map, feel free to let me know and I can try to help you.
Please provide all of the code you used to generate the map, in addition to the map itself. Also, please comment your code wherever appropriate.
Finally, write a brief paragraph in which you discuss the spatial patterns that the map helps you to identify. Are there any patterns of clustering or dispersion that you find interesting? Do you notice anything surprising or unexpected? And, what future research questions might this map suggest?