Sharing is Caring - Week 4 

 

Sharing GIS Map Data - GIS5050/L - Week 4 

 

This week we learned to share map data in three different ways, Map Packages, Maps in ArcGIS online, and google earth. The assignment was to find a ranked list about something, create an Excel spreadsheet with the data, convert it to a text document, and then share the map with the online GIS community and the general public. The most time consuming part of the project for me was finding a ranked list that I could actually use. I wanted to map the Top 10 best wines of 2016, but ran into some address issues for my spreadsheet since different countries display addresses differently. Next I tried to do oldest breweries in the US, but also had address conflict based on the list I found. I tried to do the Top 10 California wines of 2016, but they weren't "ranked" per se. Anyway, I decided on Colorado's delicious craft beer breweries, ranked by "science" as per Thrillist (https://www.thrillist.com/drink/denver/colorado-s-10-best-craft-breweries-new-belgium-brewing-odell-brewing-great-divide-brewing). I chose this so when I visit Colorado, I can go on my own little brewery tour. I also figured there may be a lot of other thirsty travelers who would like this information.

My map can be viewed in ArcGIS Online here:
http://arcg.is/2jVV79n

The lab was informative and it is really nice that you can create data in an Excel spreadsheet and make it accessible to others in the GIS community. It also allows for being able to generate GIS data pertaining to just about anything, which will come in handy for what I do most, archaeology. I did run into the issue of time again, but that may have been more of a product of trying to find a ranked list than of the difficulty of the lab. There are a lot of steps to remember in each form of sharing, so I will have to return to the lab instructions to remember all of them in the future.

All in all, I feel like I shared something I care about (beer), with the GIS community and general public. Locating delicious beer is an important part of any roadtrip and when traversing Colorado, I and anyone who uses my map, will be able to easily quench their thirst.