Month: March 2019

Python is a programming language that enables users to understand and manipulate strands of code. I have only had the chance to skim the surface of Python’s multifaceted structure and abilities with the help of Programming Historian’s “Introduction to Python” lessons. So far, I have followed through and completed lessons 1-6, and briefly glanced over the seventh lesson, “From HTML to List of Words (part 1).” I have found this lab complex with its easy-to-follow instructions but rather difficult concepts to wrap one’s head around. Having no previous experience with coding of any kind, I would say that these lessons have certainly opened doors for me in terms of grasping a deeper understanding of how the Web works, as well as looking towards skills to learn in the future.

The interest I have acquired in coding from Python fits well with one of Ian Milligan’s arguments in his paper entitled, “Lost in the Infinite Archive: The Promise and Pitfalls of Web Archives.” Milligan suggests that historians “…need to become aware of basic Web concepts: an understanding of what metadata is, how the Web works, what a hyperlink is, and basic definitional concepts such as URLs.” After going through the motions and gaining a sense of what Python is and what some of its abilities are, I have come to learn how the internet carries out certain tasks.

For instance, the first lesson explains how each web page is simply the end product of information or more specifically the language, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), that has been received and interpreted by the web browser. Any individual can view this language by right-clicking a web page and going to “View Page Source.” From there you can perform various tasks with that information using tools such as Python. For example, you could extract parts of a web page’s text to use elsewhere or download and open web pages. Another interesting fact that most individuals may not be aware of is shared in the fifth lesson “Downloading Web Pages with Python.” It mentions how web pages are files that are stored “on another computer, a machine known as a web server.” When you go to a web page you are requesting to see a specific file from the server. In turn, the server sends you a copy of that file, the web page that you end up viewing.

This knowledge may seem dull and insignificant but, like Milligan, I believe it is important that people are more aware of what exactly they are doing on the internet rather than use its services blindly. Perhaps if people learned more about how the internet worked, they would be more cautious of how they use it. Concerning historians, I also agree that it would be in their best interests to understand even the most basic aspects of the Web. In current times, information is more accessible but there is an increase in skepticism of whether the information that is being gathered and utilized is in fact true and substantial. If historians have the ability to further analyze the sources of their information, they may feel more confident with what they are applying to their overall research.

As for myself, I do not see the regular use of Python in my near future. However, I find its existence purposeful and, with the evolution and growth of technology, I may eventually require the knowledge of Python for later endeavors during my career. For now, I will leave Python and other computer programming languages to the computer scientists and engineers but encourage digital historians and other folks to dabble in them so they may broaden their horizons and continue pushing world history forward.

ArcGIS Map is a software that allows users to work with maps in a digital format and apply information to those maps so they may determine certain trends and answer various hypotheses. By navigating my way through lessons 1-3 from the Geospatial Historian website, I was able to learn how to apply data that was accumulated from the Great Plains of North America, centered around specific periods of time, onto a map of the area in question. I also learned how to “georeference” meaning imposing an image upon a map and getting the software to recognize each piece of media as one cohesive chunk of data (as shown below).

 

Doing this assisted me in both coming up with research questions that may have been missed if the work I was doing was conducted traditionally, as well as answering questions the lessons themselves posed. Throughout my process of working with ArcGIS Map, I have considered certain strengths and weaknesses that the software has in terms of being user-friendly and functional.

First, I will discuss the software’s downfalls. As I followed through the lessons, I realized how helpful the lessons themselves were when it came to simply familiarizing myself with the software. Without the step-by-step instructions, I may have become lost and confused earlier into the usage of the program. For the most part, the functions are displayed as icons rather than words. This made it more difficult to find certain functions that were not associated with a familiar symbol. For example, the button used to de-select data in the tables that were used, was shown as a puzzle piece looking icon. Without the clear notes of the lesson and its depiction of certain buttons, I would have either taken much longer to find the de-select button or would have missed it entirely.

Other problems were not as evident if you happened to not come across them. For instance, while attempting to click and drag certain items to rearrange the order of them in the Table of Contents, the action would occasionally not work. This was not a mere glitch in the system but rather a situation in which the program was picky. If you were not under the specific section of the Table of Contents entitled, “List by Drawing Order,” the program would not let you manipulate the layers of data. Although it is a minor problem, it easily became frustrating to me as a first-time user, before I had realized what was happening and learned how to resolve the situation.

Another small but inconveniencing dilemma I had faced while using ArcGIS Map was that the “Identify” function would not discontinue its use once you were done with it. If you are not familiar with this function it is a button labeled with a letter “I” with a circle around it, similar to what you would see at an information booth. This function allows the user to click on an area of a map and be notified about all metadata related to that area through the table of information attached to it. An example would be by clicked on a state or county and having a window pop up that provided the user with the name of the state or country they are addressing, along with other particular pieces of information. After I had clicked the “Identify” icon to use it, I could not get out of the function unless I chose another function to use subsequently.

Lastly, an extremely unfortunate concern with this software is its tendency to crash and shut down. An easy solution to this problem is to continuously save material and data as you alter it but this does not discount the fact that it’s an inconvenience and an annoyance. What I will say about this occurrence is that it is a reminder to users that GIS software is still evolving and, for the time being, the world of digital history still has room for improvements.

Overall, the program was reasonably easy to work with. Once I had completed the first two lessons, I found it easier to navigate and I gained a further understanding of what each function did and what tasks I could achieve through the software. The Table of Contents, where the layered sets of data were organized, made the program efficient and clean in appearance, avoiding the possibility of various components becoming muddled together. If I was using two or more sets of data collected in table form, they would be placed together in one window, similar to Excel, allowing me to toggle back and forth between data sets. This added towards the ease and organization of the program, giving it a more comfortable feeling for me as a new user. Even with the few minor details that need ironing out, ArcGIS is still a positive contributor to the world of digital history. It gives historians, geographers, and the like, the chance to advance their understandings of spatial events both past and present as well as visualize trends occurring over vast expanses of land.