1 making maps: integrative technology for quality journalism j. t. johnson professor and co-director...

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Making Maps:Making Maps:Integrative Technology Integrative Technology for Quality Journalismfor Quality Journalism

J. T. JohnsonProfessor and Co-director

Institute for Analytic JournalismCollege of Communication - Boston University

t o m @ j t j o h n s o n . c o m

Highway Africa 2001Highway Africa 2001

http://www.bu.edu/iaj

mailto:[email protected]

2/57 HighwayAfrica 2001 — Sept. 2001© J.T.Johnson 2001

http://mmcom.bu.edu/tjohnson/Public/IAJ/Presentations/HA2001.ppt

Objectives

Quick introduction to GIS (Geographical Information Systems/Science) -- definitions and concepts

GIS = a tool for all aspects of publishing and broadcasting News/editorial -- circulation -- advertising --

marketing -- production Whet appetite for the types of stories better

understood and communicated by GIS Trigger some ideas on how to make current

stories better Show that all this is knowable, possible and

affordable



Key points

GIS as important as telecommunications, word processing, spreadsheets and data bases to Digital Age journalists

GIS is not about making maps, per se. It is about analyzing often large sets of data to

generate information – hypotheses, conclusions, insights, new hunches – about widely varied socio-economic phenomena.

Maps are one unique aspect/artifact of the methodology. But not the end product: knowledge and insight are.



Key points

GIS is about being better – more insightful – journalists (Journos good at description, not analysis. GIS will make us better analysts and often supply readers with a better description of event or phenomena.)

GIS is about literally showing our readers stories in ways they can quickly grasp.



Key points

GIS is a rich challenging tool that should be employed throughout the media organization. As such, promotes shared learning and insights.

A terrific “I didn’t know that!” device for managers, journos and readers



Database with geocodes

Hardware

What is needed for GIS?

User skills

GIS Software



What is GIS- Layers concept illustrated



Quick Power of Maps-Table



Quick Power of Maps

African Internet Connection Speeds

1997 2000Source: http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/afrmain.htm

http://www3.sn.apc.org/africa/afrmain.htm



Quick Power of Maps-Same Data

ANGOLA 12.09 3023 1684 4000 82 5 4 192



Quick Power of Maps:Same Data/Bar Chart



Quick Power of Maps- Same Data



Portland, Oregon Crime Mapping Home page

http://www.portlandpolicebureau.com/crimemapper.html

http://www.portlandpolicebureau.com/maps.html








Portland, Oregon Crime mapping

Note how database produces graph and map. This Portland, Oregon site at http://www.portlandpolicebureau.com/crimemapper.html








Crime Mapping in South Africa

South African Crime Mapping and GIS Resourceshttp://www.crimeresearch.org.za/crimemap.html

http://www.crimeresearch.org.za/crimemap.html









GIS in all departments: Advertising

ADVERTISING Sales? - No. of potential advertisers - # of non-advertisers - Income of town - Age of population



GIS in all departments: Circulation

Circulation? - # of copies per district - # of dealers per route - Penetration - Time of delivery



Route mapping-DeliveryRoute

Route Mapping



Newspaper Route Mapping Resources

http://www.esri.com/software/arclogistics/index.html

ESRI Routing bibliography http://www.esri.com/software/arclogistics/whatsnew.html

RealAudio clips describing ArcLogistics Route http://gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?ClipID=57 http://gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?ClipID=55

Fleet mgmt. and trackinghttp://www.gisvisionmag.com/software_reviews/fleet.pdf



http://www.esri.com/software/arclogistics/whatsnew.html

http://www.esri.com/software/arclogistics/whatsnew.html

http://gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?ClipID=57

http://gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?ClipID=55



GIS in all departments: Production

Production? - Prod. employees homes - Toxic waste sites - Copies of varied editions

or products



How Production can use GIS

Press status? Repair reports Equipment maintenance schedule

Facilities management Clickable Campus #1



GIS in all departments: BackOffice

Back office? - Employee homes - Accounts due - Travel time to work - Health-care facilities



Backoffice – Facilities Mgmt.

Clickable Campus #1http://www.sfsu.edu/clickmap/sfsumap.htm

Designing work space Allocating office space Tracking office equipment Building Maintenance

http://www.sfsu.edu/clickmap/sfsumap.htm



Personnel

Mapping employees residence Who is available to covering breaking

story? Sharing transportation:

“Suggested” co-op transit “Ride sharing” Adjusting work schedules to avoid traffic

congestion



GIS in EditorialEditorial

-Demographics- Crime - Housing- Businesses- Voting patterns/places- Education- Campaign Contributions

- Public Health - Taxation- Church membership- Environment- Traffic- Urban sprawl- Political negotiations (e.g. India and Pakistan, Ecuador and Peru, Guatemala and Belize, Russia and Japan, Britain and Argentina)

- Robin sightings

http://www.directionsmag.com/columns.asp?ColumnID=29

http://www.directionsmag.com/columns.asp?ColumnID=29

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukwild/robin_map.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ukwild/robin_map.shtml



How Editors Use GIS

Fresno [California] Bee Methamphetamine lab story http://www.valleymeth.com/graphics/superlabs.html

Philadelphia Inquirer’s daily commuter patterns

San Jose Mercury News projected mud slides, building permits

Charlotte Observer: “Deciding Desegregation” http://www.charlotte.com/observer/special/deseg/docs/0110about.htm

http://www.valleymeth.com/graphics/superlabs.html





http://www.charlotte.com/observer/special/deseg/docs/0110about.htm



PhillyNgbh1

http://cml.upenn.edu/nbase/

http://cml.upenn.edu/nbase/nbAbout.asp



PhillyNgbh2




PhillyNgbh3





PhillyNgbh4



How Editors Use GIS

Fresno [California] Bee Methamphetamine lab story http://www.valleymeth.com/graphics/superlabs.html

Philadelphia Inquirer’s daily commuter patternshttp://www.smartraveler.com/scripts/phlmap.asp?

city=phl&cityname=Philadelphia Charlotte Observer: “Deciding

Desegregation” http://www.charlotte.com/observer/special/deseg/docs/0110about.htm






http://www.charlotte.com/observer/special/deseg/docs/0110about.htm



How reporters use GIS

Census analysis/story telling USAToday

http://www.usatoday.com/news/census/index.htm Weather

Hurricane Andrew Crime mapping

Crime Mapping Research Centerhttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cmrc/

Crime mapping tutorial http://www.gis.heinz.cmu.edu/gistutorial/

Economics, education, urban development, taxation, voting patterns, environment, traffic

http://www.usatoday.com/news/census/index.htm

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cmrc/

http://www.gis.heinz.cmu.edu/gistutorial/



USAToday



USA Today





http://www.usatoday.com/news/census/index.htm

Crime mapping Crime Mapping Research Center

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cmrc/ Crime mapping tutorial

http://www.gis.heinz.cmu.edu/gistutorial/



Weather-Hurricane Andrew

Weather - Hurricane Andrew



Orange County, California Bus Study

Orange County, California

Bus Study



3DTaxiCrimeMapView13D view of Taxi Crime



3DTaxiCrimeMapView2Rotated 3D view of Taxi Crime



3DTaxiCrimeGraph





http://www.usatoday.com/news/census/index.htm Weather

Hurricane Andrew Crime mapping

Crime Mapping Research Centerhttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/cmrc/

Crime mapping tutorial http://www.gis.heinz.cmu.edu/gistutorial/

Economics, education, urban development, taxation, voting patterns, environment, traffic



Animated mapping

Maps and images that can be controlled, on the WWW, but the user.

Emphasis is on layering Note, the graphics are tied, in a fundamental

way, to the database. Any map is only as good as the database used to create it.

Manhattan Timeformations: http://www.skyscraper.org/timeformations/animation.html

http://www.skyscraper.org/timeformations/animation.html





Concept Mapping Intellectual – or conceptual space --

geography How are ideas related? How are people or places with or tied to

ideas/concepts related? Where is cyberspace? How to map it?

Atlas of Cyberspace Web Mapping

http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/web_sites.html

Mapping how people use a web sitehttp://mappa.mundi.net/maps/maps_022/

Show me the Power Players in a society?http://theyrule.orgo.org/

http://www.cybergeography.org/atlas/atlas.html

http://mappa.mundi.net/maps/maps_022/

http://theyrule.orgo.org/



Web site content map



Fry’s Web site mapBen Fry's anemone visualization of website

usage



Mapping cyberspaceVR visualisation of Web traffic



PowerPlayers1http://theyrule.orgo.org/



PowerPlayers2



PowerPlayers3



Dynamic Event Mapping

Code-Red (CRv2) worm virus (19 July 2001)

http://caida.packet-pushers.com/newframes-small-log.gif

http://caida.packet-pushers.com/newframes-small-log.gif



Editorial

Advertising

Major Points About GIS

Circulation

Production

The hammer and chisel are not the cabinet. (e.g. “The tool is not the product.”)

Skillful use of the tool can be applied to many different products with same data but different objectives

Skillful use of the tool can be applied to many different products with same data and the same objectives. Ergo…

It’s in the interest of all in organization to cooperate in GIS

Focus on the infinitive to transact, not the noun of product



Major trends in JAGIS (Journalism And GIS)

Transparency Easy access to data of all sorts Data-based decision making Vital to informed government, business, culture

Dynamic mapping Data/information when and where we want it

Concept mapping Reflects pervasive interlocking relationships

between people, between ideas, linking decisions to data

Geo-location Real time, wireless location of people, events, resources

Cyber-geographyhttp://www.cybergeography.org/geography_of_cyberspace.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JAGIS-L





http://www.cybergeography.org/geography_of_cyberspace.html



Conclusion: Why journos need to know about GIS? It can make us better journalists and

improves civic contribution. (Philadelphia data)

Makes the invisible visible Literally shows the story to our readers Helps readers connect with us and vice

versa It can make all aspects of our business

run more efficiently, profitably Government and business are using GIS.

Ergo, we need to at least know enough about how it works to ask informed questions. And if government is not using it, then we should find out why.




Journalism is…

“The central purpose of journalism is to provide

citizens with accurate and reliable information they need to function in a free

society.'‘ Bill Kovach, curator Nieman Foundation Harvard University

57

Making Maps:Making Maps:Integrative Technology for Integrative Technology for

Quality JournalismQuality Journalism

J. T. JohnsonProfessor and Co-director

Institute for Analytic JournalismCollege of Communication - Boston University

t o m @ j t j o h n s o n . c o m

Highway Africa 2001Highway Africa 2001

Related bibliography found at http://mmcom.bu.edu/tjohnson/Public/IAJ/Presentations/HA2001biblio.doc

1 making maps: integrative technology for quality journalism j. t. johnson professor and co-director...

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