Hello all!
Welcome back. This week I will continue talking about the ASSERT model
from Bill Ferster’s (2013) book, Interactive
Visualization. I will start by restating what ASSERT stands for and why it’s
important. The acronym stands for ASK a question, SEARCH for evidence to answer
the question, STRUCTURE that information to answer the question, ENVISION ways
to answer the question using the data, REPRESENT the data in a compelling
visualization, and TELL a meaningful story using the evidence to answer the
question. It is used to help create visualizations that are engaging,
educational, and help build onto research of the historical and social
sciences.
Last week I focused on the A-S portion of the model. I
formed the question (Ask) What were
likely routes that migrants used to travel to this location before they died? I
determined that this was a good question because it cannot be answered with a
simple yes or no, and its narrow scope can be appropriately investigated and answered
visually. For the Search portion of the model, I determined that I would have access
to sufficient information to help with the rest of the model.
Now that we are caught up, I will finish off the S-E-R-T
portions.
The second S stands for STRUCTURE. Structuring data helps to
better make sense of it and allows for better questions to be asked (Ferster, 2013:76).
For this step, Ferster explains that quantitative data is often best used by imputing
into spreadsheets as it is quicker and more accurate than by using word
processing programs. I used Google sheets and Excel for this step. Google
sheets is really great for collaborating with people all over the world, and/or,
if you’re planning on needing to access the information on different computers.
Excel is great because it offers more options than the online version.
For ENVISION, Ferster states that successful applications of
information do not communicate data, but rather, a message. For this, I plan to
use the data from the Excel sheet and input data into ArcGIS. Then use the strontium
and oxygen isotope base layers to intersect the data to show each migrant’s
potential region of origin. Then I will create a layer in ArcGIS of the Medieval
trade routes in Europe, focusing specifically on Western Europe.
For this project, I plan to REPRESENT the data by attempting
to illustrate the mobility and diversity of the founders of Berlin. I am hoping
to create a visual representation of each migrant moving along the most likely
trade route to the Berlin area. This portion of the model also investigates the
interaction of the audience. Ferster discusses the affordances and constraints
the creator (in this case, me) needs to think about before and during the visualization
creation process. If possible, I would like the user to be able to adjust the
movement settings maybe via a slider tool; however, the constraints for this project
will likely (mostly) be due to my own novice capabilities as well as the
limitations of the program I use.
Finally, I hope to illustrate and TELL a story about the
origins of the settlers of Berlin, since the city’s earliest years is unknown. “Stories
follow a structure that describes the action over time” (Ferster, 2013:176). Besides
the map and the movement of the little icons on the screen, the best part of
the project will be this portion of the model. I look forward to being able to give
a voice back to each individual, no matter how limited it might be. By learning
about these people through their diet, we not only learn a little about the
founding of a major European capital city, but we also get a glimpse of the
lives of the past through a unique combination of methodologies.
Now that I have explained the model and thought about how to
proceed through its development, I look forward to working on it and sharing it
with you all!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed your visit!
-The Migrant Isotopist
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