I chose my buildings based on how often I visit them on a specific schedule per week. One of them is my dorm, but the rest of them are either where my classes are, or where my clubs are. I excluded the building this class is in because everyone looking at this map already knows when I’m there.

My Data

When I made this map, I knew I wanted to somehow show how often I visit each building a week without writing the actual number on it. I tried a heat map, but I couldn’t get it to show any major differentiation, and there’s a big difference between once a week and seven times a week. I ultimately decided to change the opacity of the dots instead, and keep the outline opaque so the dots weren’t impossible to find.

My Map

I think mapping data like this could be incredibly useful with more data points. For example, tracking the movements of people could shed light on which building is used the most and is therefore more deserving of extra amenities/upgrades. On the other side of the coin, it could be used to find out which buildings need more attention to entice students to use them more and make sure that they are not going to waste.

I’m sure ArcGIS has a lot of capabilities, but I wouldn’t know as I didn’t end up using most of them. As is, however, it does seem incredibly useful. One could attach all sorts of information to polygons and data points, and keep layering different kinds of information to create a more well-rounded picture. For example, something that my map is lacking is why I visit each location. Adding another layer, a caption, or even changing the colors of the points and creating a key could help add that in.