This is an interactive map that tracks previous sightings of different species fo Mooses and Wolves from 1974 – 2023 (the link to the map is the caption below the image) using this dataset provided by Christopher Saladin. This dataset provides the dates that they were seen, the time and specific timezone the sighting happened, a link showing where the sighting was and the type of subcategories the mooses and wolves are in, the place that they were guessed to be seen, which includes the longitude and latitude, and their scientific name.
The Process
The reason why I chose this dataset was because it looked interesting to breakdown and fairly challenging considering the simplicity of the information. Initially, I was going to put this into a graph using the OpenRefine app, the main reason for wanting to use that app was to sort out all the scattered information and get rid of any anomalies but, ultimately decided to make a visual representation ArcGIS. The primary reason for this was because ArcGIS has a similar function to OpenRefine but does everything automatically and adds points onto a map given the longitude and latitude.
Before doing anything I first created a new map adding the spreadsheet in a CSV file so ArcGIS could pinpoint each animal sighting on a map (they defaulted as dots of different colors) additionally had a category called “Others” which was categories of other animals ArcGIS wouldn’t specifically call.
After sorting out the data by their commonly known names to make it easier for the reader and myself to differentiate the animals I made the icons of each animal and what they look like depending on what was most accurately portrayed according to Google.
The very last part of this process was putting all the tags under the map, descriptions, and a meaningful title and embedding the map in this post. The tagging and descriptions were simple to do as there wasn’t much to be added but, the only problem I ran into was trying to embed the map into this post because this website doesn’t like the way the map is embedded so I settled for just linking the map (the caption below the map is where it is linked)
I decided to format this blog post like all the ones I did, having an image on the top with a link to such images (in this case it is the map) then an introduction to what the blog is about then describing my thought process on why I did what I did then a conclusion to summarize this all up.
Significance
My approach with this dataset was to show a visual representation of where each animal is located but, this lacks specific details of what traits and physical features the animals may have. With the already given data there is also potential on how more information can be added to this map.
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