In Assignment #1 (circa 1500 words + map(s)) you will be writing a "critical map essay" using data acquired through overpass turbo to assess data gaps in a place that you know in the world. You can do this assignment alone or in pairs. You will write this essay in Google Sites and it will include embedded live maps created by inserting iframes.
There are five steps to this assignment :
(1) choosing a place that you know somewhat well (your hometown, a place you traveled on vacation and walked around, the neighborhood of an NYU global site); (please do not choose NYUAD campus or Saadiyat Island around the university unless you consult with me).
(2) using OSM's feature list, explore some features that are present using overpass turbo and the simple queries we used in class. Choose 2 or 3 features that you believe are the most relevant for your essay for the chosen location.
Steps 1 and 2 may be somewhat iterative.
(3) downloading data using the Overpass API (overpass-turbo.eu) in geojson format and visualizing the data of those features using the UMap mapping platform; it will make sense to have different features in different layers and colors. Also, make your data files available in a folder in the shared class drive, linking them to your assignment.
(4) critically assessing your digital map for how this data corresponds to what you know of this location and how you know it;
(5) reflecting in your essay on a participatory mapping project with community members who would benefit from adding data to the map (to closing the "data gaps").
Here are some guiding questions in your critical map essay (you do not need to answer all of them):
how does OSM bundle information with location? how does this information compare with the local knowledge you have about the location? Google maps? Apple maps? where are the data gaps? Do they reflect any kind of cultural, linguistic or informational bias?
what features are well represented in OSM? is it obvious that there was a particular effort to map certain features here (governmental, cultural, religious)? what did you think of the applicability of the OSM "feature list" for this location?
Look quickly at the same area in Google Maps or Apple Maps or Bing Maps and compare with OSM. What non-commercial map features are present in them that you would like to see in OSM for this location?
in class we spoke about mapped representing a degree of privilege. What kinds of privilege do the data in OSM represent for your location?
if you were to mobilize a non-profit, community mapping effort to remediate some of these data gaps, who would these community members be (small businesses, social justice activists, cultural heritage sector, youth, sporting communities, environmentalists) and what would motivate them to contribute their work?
What map layers make the most sense to use given your data (cycle, transport, OPNVKarte, Humanitarian)?
Some additional information about Overpass Turbo:
Read: About Overpass Turbo | Extracting Data via Overpass Turbo
Watch short videos: How to use overpass turbo interface for OSM data (5 mins) | A Turbo Introduction to Overpass (25 mins) | Extracting OSM data using Overpass Turbo (9mins)
The maps that you create should be embedded into your essay. Choose center points that allow us to focus on the specific area of interest with ease.