This talk will explore how communities can harness mapping tools (e.g.\, Google Maps\, StoryMaps) to better center th e individual stories of people facing community challenges. Many of today’s challenges are place-based\, such as economic struggles and environmental issues. Interactive spatial tools give digital humanities researchers and c reators rich possibilities for archiving\, connecting\, and contextualizing individuals’ stories that are linked to local concerns. For example\, crea tors can use mapping tools to interpret and share the lived experiences and concerns of local groups when faced with a problem that has a place-based component. Sea level rise is one such issue that has relevance for people l iving in coastal Florida. In this presentation\, I will describe how I work ed with a colleague–Dan Richards at Old Dominion University–to gather perso nal narratives from coastal residents in Florida and Virginia. We then comb ined the narratives with dynamic maps and discussions about the potential t hreats from sea-level rise along the coast. Our resulting project\, called “SLR Stories” (https://tinyurl.com/slr-stories)\, tells an interactive stor y that adds a human element to what can be “dry” scientific information abo ut risk. I will then discuss how storytelling with maps can be used to shar e a diverse group of voices and viewpoints about community issues\, and foc us on some of the best practices that creators should keep in mind for desi gn and development of interactive mapping stories\, such as emphasizing usa bility and thinking about your editorial stance.
Registration is avai lable here.
ORGANIZER;CN="Sara F. Johnson":MAILTO:sjohnso2@irsc.edu URL;VALUE=URI:https://fldh.org/events/event/storytelling-with-maps-to-under stand-community-challenges/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR