Kepler.gl is a web based application that allows the user to create a variety of different types of maps to analyze a collection of geographical data. Through the different map types that the application offers, the user is able to discover and analyze different relationships and trends within a collection of geographical data.
For my personal work with kepler.gl, the data I used came from the WPA Salve Narratives, which was a collection of interviews of former slaves conducted between the years 1936-1938 as part of the Federal Writer’s Project of the Works Progress Administration. I did not look at the whole interview collection for my work, instead I focused specifically on the interviews conducted in the state of Alabama. In my work with kepler.gl, I created five different types of maps that I used to analyze different relationships found in this series of interviews. All of these maps were created by using the geographical coordinates of where the interviews took place and where the person interviewed was enslaved.
Types of Maps used in kepler.gl:
1. Point Map: This type of map uses dots to represent different data points in a collection of date. On the map I created, dots were used to show where the different interviews took place within the state of Alabama. A higher concentration of dots in a specific area means that a larger portion of interviews took place in that area. For the WPA Slave Narratives, the point map showed that while the interviews were conducted across the entire state of Alabama, a significant amount of the interviews took place on the southwest coast and in west-central Alabama.
2. Heat Map: This type of map can be used to demonstrate the density of data points in specific areas. The map I created showed where in the state of Alabama the highest density of interviews were conducted. The color of the dots on the map corresponded to the density of the amount of interviews conducted. The more yellow a dot appeared, meant that a higher density of interviews was conducted in that area. For the WPA Slave Interviews, the highest density of interviews were conducted in southwest and central Alabama.
3. Time Map: This type of map can be used to show dates and times of different data points. The map I created showcased when the interviews in the state of Alabama were conducted. The user is able to select the time period they want to view and then watch as the points are highlighted based on the time when the interview was conducted. My personal map demonstrated that the interviews in Alabama took place between April and August 1937 with the highest concentration of them taking place between late May and early July. This type of map also allows the route that the interviewers took through Alabama to be followed and see the how they moved through Alabama to conduct the interviews.
4. Category Map: This type of map can be used to see the relationship between two different categories contained in a data set on a map. For the map that I created, I looked at the location of different types of slaves, field vs house, in the state of Alabama. One color dot represented the location of field slaves and the other represented the location of house slaves. This type of map demonstrated that field slaves were now living in rural areas of Alabama, while house slaves were now living in the urban areas and cities of Alabama.
5. Network Map: This type of map can be used to represent two different geographical locations contained in a data set, and to analyze their relationship to each other. For the map that I created I used the location of where the interviews where conducted and the location of where the person interviewed was enslaved. The map created lines between the two locations using different colors for each of the different sets of locations contained in the data set. The map I created for the WPA Slave Narratives, showcased that many of the people interviewed were now living far away from the places where they were enslaved. Some of the people interviewed had been enslaved in states as far away as Virginia and North Carolina.
Through using kepler.gl I was able to discover a variety of different trends and relationships that was contained in the data of the interviews conducted in Alabama as part of the WPA Slave Narratives. These trends and relationship were revealed through the maps produced using kepler.gl.
