Working Title - Working Title: “Testing our Toolbox”
150-Word Abstract
A whole host of digital tools exist to help represent
data and tell a compelling story. Each of these tools, important in their own
right, are limited in some capacity and while each tool has a purpose and style,
the visualization of their dataset can vary drastically if represented on
different tools due to their limiting focus. This is an area worthy of
research; a comparative test that uses the same datasets that could then be applied
to a variety of tools which when subjugated to analysis reveal their limitations
and focus and its effect on their storytelling capabilities. While each tool
generally makes an appealing case for their use and offer no shortage of showcases
for the uses of their tool, the dataset is never the same, making the judgement
to use a tool for their research an arduous task. Knowing the comparative
qualities, capabilities, and limitations of a variety of tools can help students
and scholars make a more informed decision when deciding which tools would fix
their research interest best.
Principal Data Sources
I am using the PhD dissertation of David Klingle as a source
for most of my data, this dissertation is entitled: “Burial in Florida:
Culture, Ritual, Health, and Status: The Archaic to Seminole Periods.” I
decided to use this source because his dissertation explains the different in cultural
periods of Florida’s history before the Seminole tribe. He speaks to the burial
and ritual practices which are great for contextualizing these sites and the people
who lived there. Additionally he also lays out important sites relating to each
of the different cultures allowing me to choose those most prominent, and
varied temporally and geographically.
This data set will also allow me to site a scholarly source
directly which adds credibility to the narrative.
Visualization Platform(s)
Visual eyes is the main platform, additionally I will
branch out into different tools for visualization. Microsoft Sway and website
building tools for blogs make great use of static visualization and
storytelling and I feel are important to bring into the fold of my research as static
visualization, especially those tools that are available for this, is incredibly
popular and remain an effective way to express a story even though they lack an
interactive element. Other interactive tools like timelineJS, and story maps
provide more variety for testing their presentation of this information. As this
project progresses, even outside the timeframe for the class I wish to expand
the number of tools to really craft an analysis of how these tools handle and
can represent the information given to them.
