Mapping the Depths: Using Spatial Analysis Technology to Map the World Around Us
Humans have used maps since ancient times, from hand-drawn atlases to foldable pamphlets to mobile apps. Today’s technological developments have allowed mapping to go far beyond what the original cartographers could have imagined. Beyond the day-to-day convenience of using Google Maps for directions, researchers can use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to explore layers of mapped data.
GIS is used to manage and visualize any plottable geospatial data, such as postal codes, city boundaries or elevations. Analysis of the processed and mapped data can reveal relationships and patterns to problem-solve and impact policy. These capabilities have a lot of potential for revolutionizing research in a variety of fields.
“Traditional cartographic maps are about one layer of information. But on a computer, you can put multiple layers of information on top of each other and find relations and hidden patterns or a story with the data,” explained Bahare Sanaie-Movahed, Northeastern’s GIS specialist based in Snell Library.
GIS was initially used mainly for engineering and natural resources fields, according to Sanaie-Movahed, who has master’s degrees in GIS and environmental engineering. Now, other fields, such as history and political science departments, are also taking advantage of the technology. Maps of election results, for example, can now compare all types of demographics with voting patterns. The New York Times correlated political and cultural bubbles by mapping the popularity of different TV shows throughout the US with how those areas voted in the 2016 presidential election: Duck Dynasty correlated most with support for Trump and Family Guy for Clinton.
“…on a computer, you can put multiple layers of information on top of each other and find relations and hidden patterns or a story with the data.”
-Bahare Sanaie-Movahed, Northeastern University
Businesses, too, see the benefit. “Say I want to build a business selling pet food,” Sanaie-Movahed proposed. “I can use GIS to select my location, check how many people around Massachusetts [have] pets, where are other stores that would be my competition. I put this information together and come up with the location where I want to build my own company.”
A new interactive web tool from the CDC, called the 500 Cities project, allows users to explore health data estimates at city and neighborhood levels for the largest cities in the U.S. Mapping the data can help government and health workers visually identify patterns of health issues facing specific locations and develop targeted prevention campaigns.
GIS technology makes it possible to map data in great detail, but there are also key challenges: Maps need to be updated with current data and geography. It can be difficult to consolidate data from different sources for the same map. Different audiences require different types of user interfaces. There are so many tools, and each have slightly different features.
Sanaie-Movahed added, “Every day you’re waking up, a new program, a new platform is out there. It’s a big data day.
“We are trying to visualize data, make it easy to digest and easy to understand,” she concluded. “But we have to be careful. You can tell lies with statistics — same issue with maps.”
