Mapping Research Literature:
An Arizona Rangelands Pilot Project
Abstract
Abstract
The Rangelands Literature Map of Arizona is a pilot project developed by Andrew Antaya, Cody Wooden, Sarah Noelle and Jeanne Pfander from the University of Arizona. It was funded by a small research grant Ms. Pfander received from the U.S Agricultural Information Network (USAIN). The map uses open source software to geotag journal articles from the Journal of Range Management and to display the article citations on an interactive web map.
The Rangelands Literature Map of Arizona is a pilot project developed by Andrew Antaya, Cody Wooden, Sarah Noelle and Jeanne Pfander from the University of Arizona. It was funded by a small research grant Ms. Pfander received from the U.S Agricultural Information Network (USAIN). The map uses open source software to geotag journal articles from the Journal of Range Management and to display the article citations on an interactive web map.
The Literature
The Literature
We selected as our “test batch” 25 articles where the field study took place in Arizona. The articles are from older volumes of the Society for Range Management’s (SRM) Journal of Range Management (JRM). They are held in the open access repository hosted in the Rangelands Partnership’s Global Rangelands site and are no longer under embargo by the copyright holder. (Note: Articles from both SRM journals are freely available on Global Rangelands as well as in the UA Libraries' Campus Repository with a "rolling window" embargo of a few years (5 for JRM, now titled Rangelands Ecology & Management (REM) and 3 for Rangelands).
We selected as our “test batch” 25 articles where the field study took place in Arizona. The articles are from older volumes of the Society for Range Management’s (SRM) Journal of Range Management (JRM). They are held in the open access repository hosted in the Rangelands Partnership’s Global Rangelands site and are no longer under embargo by the copyright holder. (Note: Articles from both SRM journals are freely available on Global Rangelands as well as in the UA Libraries' Campus Repository with a "rolling window" embargo of a few years (5 for JRM, now titled Rangelands Ecology & Management (REM) and 3 for Rangelands).
In order to determine the location of the field research, we read the “Study Area/Methods” section of each article and attempted to locate the study sites described in each article on an electronic map. Most of these journal articles pre-date widespread use of GPS (global positioning system) devices, so many of the study area descriptions rely on the use of place names (e.g., Hells Canyon, Juniper Tank). We found that a variety of base maps were useful to locate study sites described in the articles. We also found that searching for place names on Google Maps in a web browser was very helpful.
In order to determine the location of the field research, we read the “Study Area/Methods” section of each article and attempted to locate the study sites described in each article on an electronic map. Most of these journal articles pre-date widespread use of GPS (global positioning system) devices, so many of the study area descriptions rely on the use of place names (e.g., Hells Canyon, Juniper Tank). We found that a variety of base maps were useful to locate study sites described in the articles. We also found that searching for place names on Google Maps in a web browser was very helpful.
The Software
The Software
We entered each journal article’s metadata (e.g., title, authors, publication date, geo-coordinates, etc.) into a Zotero collection.
We entered each journal article’s metadata (e.g., title, authors, publication date, geo-coordinates, etc.) into a Zotero collection.
We decided to use LiteratureMapper - an open-source project created by Michele Tobias, PhD and Alex Mandel.
We decided to use LiteratureMapper - an open-source project created by Michele Tobias, PhD and Alex Mandel.
For mapping/geographic software, we used QGIS, an open-source GIS software program similar to ESRI’s ArcMap.
For mapping/geographic software, we used QGIS, an open-source GIS software program similar to ESRI’s ArcMap.
Inside QGIS, we used the LiteratureMapper plugin to generate points corresponding to the study site(s) described in each article.
Inside QGIS, we used the LiteratureMapper plugin to generate points corresponding to the study site(s) described in each article.
We’ve launched a temporary Rangelands Literature Map of Arizona website for this project to test and refine the development of the web application. This website uses an interactive web map library called Leaflet which is also open-source software. Clicking on a point in the web map generates a pop-up bubble with the article’s citation. Users of this web map can zoom and scroll on this interactive web map to browse the locations of our test articles.
We’ve launched a temporary Rangelands Literature Map of Arizona website for this project to test and refine the development of the web application. This website uses an interactive web map library called Leaflet which is also open-source software. Clicking on a point in the web map generates a pop-up bubble with the article’s citation. Users of this web map can zoom and scroll on this interactive web map to browse the locations of our test articles.
The following diagram shows how the different components of the system work together.
The following diagram shows how the different components of the system work together.
For more information, contact:
For more information, contact:
Andrew Antaya
Andrew Antaya
UA School of Natural Resources & the Environment
UA School of Natural Resources & the Environment
and/or
and/or
Jeanne L Pfander
Jeanne L Pfander
University Libraries, ALVSCE liaison
University Libraries, ALVSCE liaison