Features
Digital mapping or "GIS" (Geographical Information Software) tools can be used to connect data to geographical information (typical a street address or longitude and latitude coordinates) so that it can be displayed graphically as a map.
Digital mapping can be as simple as using the location metadata attached to pictures taken from an iPhone to create a photo tour of a particular place, and as complex as analyzing geographic distributions of variable combinations using census data.
Getting Started
See http://libguides.brynmawr.edu/bmc-academictech/mapping-in-the-classroom for an overview of digital mapping tools.
Several free digital mapping tools are available to Bryn Mawr faculty, students and staff. The free version of the web-based Google Maps is sufficient for many academic and non-academic mapping projects. Sketch-Up, a plug-in for Google Earth that lets you create location-specific 3-D models, is available in the Digital Media and Collaboration Lab in Carpenter.
For more complex projects, ARCGIS is a free tool available on library lab computers and for download or cloud use at https://www.arcgis.com/features/.
Most mobile phones and some cameras "geotag" or attach GPS location data to photographs by default. This data also be added manually. See "Geotagged photgraph" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotagged_photograph) for details.
Support
- Training videos and courses are also available through Lynda.com, including:
- GIS on the Web (using web tools like Google Maps, Google Earth, etc.)
- Up and Running with ArcGIS (beginner-level)
- ArcGIS Essential Training (intermediate-level)
- Real-World GIS (application ideas and issues)
- Consult your camera or mobile device's documentation to determine whether it has geotagging capabilities and how to turn them on or off.
- Contact the Help Desk with questions or to request an appointment with an Educational Technology Specialist: help@brynmawr.edu or 610-526-7440