Maps in the News: Maps of Pipelines before Keystone XL

Maps in the News:  United States Crude Oil Pipelines

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a collection of maps detailing the history of oil and natural gas pipelines in the United States.  Most of the maps were published by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earliest maps showing natural gas pipelines in the collection were produced by The Oil and Gas Journal in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1947.  The top map (above, click to enlarge) shows the routes from Indiana to the clustered area near the Gulf of Mexico and was published by The Oil and Gas Journal in 1953.  The red triangles depict the locations of refineries.  Gray and black lines show crude oil lines, and red dots show the locations of product lines.

The second map above was published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1976 and is part of a set of 19 maps displaying the national energy transportation systems and flows.  This set of maps was commissioned by the Committees on Commerce and Interior and Insular Affairs of the U.S. Senate as part of a study of U.S. energy transportation.  The green lines are the locations of crude oil pipelines.  Brown depicts natural gas pipelines, and black lines are petroleum products.  The red lines depict coal slurry transportation.  The dashed black lines as seen in Indiana indicate pipelines that are proposed or under construction.

The last map and legend shows crude petroleum movement by all modes in 1974 published by the U.S. Geological Survey.  Green shows flow by pipeline, and blue shows flow by water.

Researchers may also be interested in a set of geological maps available in the Libraries’ Digital Media Repository.  The Indiana Natural Resources Maps collection includes maps of natural gas, coal, and petroleum deposits and the locations of stone quarries, pipelines, and wells dating from the 1880’s to the early 1900’s.

For more information about any of the maps, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Mapping the Latest Measles Outbreak and Vaccination Rates

Frederick Goodall receiving polio treatment, 

The Other Side of Middletown Photograph Collection

Ball State University Libraries' Digital Media Repository

Mapping Measles:  The Geography of Vaccinations

ESRI, leading GIS software publisher, has created a Story Map—The State of Vaccinations—depicting the latest measles outbreak and statistics for each state’s vaccination and exemption rates. 

The site includes a chart showing the number of measles cases by year since 2001, with the number of cases in 2014 being the highest in recent history.  A map published on February 11 using data from the Center for Disease Control and health departments shows the number of measles cases in 2015, with California being the highest.

The next map features vaccination rates for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) based on school vaccination data among kindergartners.  This map shows Colorado and Pennsylvania as states with vaccination rates “well below average.”  Click on a state for more details:  The national median for vaccinations for MMR was 94.7% in 2013-2014; Indiana’s rate was 92.9%.

The next map in the series explains varying state laws related to exemptions from vaccines.  Almost all states grant religious exemptions, but 20 states also allow philosophical exemptions from immunizations.  Users can click on the state for more details:  For example, Indiana only allows religious exemptions to vaccinations for students.

A map showing non-medical exemption rates shows Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Oregon, and Vermont with a “well above average” number of children with non-medical exemptions to vaccines.  The national median is 1.7%; Oregon has 7% of children with non-medical exemptions.  Another map shows the percentage of exemptions that are non-medical for each state.  West Virginia and Mississippi do not allow non-medical exemptions.  The Story Map also includes an article about states considering new legislation to limit vaccine exemptions.

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) includes a computer lab with the latest ESRI GIS software.  Ball State University is part of the ESRI Site License Program, allowing students, faculty, and staff free access to the full suite of ESRI software products.  For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

New Orleans Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Mardi Gras:  Maps of New Orleans Available from Ball State University Libraries

Tuesday is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and celebrations have been happening in New Orleans over the last month leading up to the day.  The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a large collection of maps of New Orleans, Louisiana—both historic and modern.

The newest map in the collection (top map, click to enlarge) is called New Orleans from Space.  The map features satellite imagery from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Lake Pontchartrain is clearly visible.

The New Orleans “popout” map (above) is a great resource for travelers.  The map folds up to pocket-size and includes maps of greater New Orleans, the French Quarter, downtown, and the Garden District.  A variety of these tourist type maps and street maps of New Orleans can be found in the GRMC.

The U.S. Geological Survey published a map (above) of the flooding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005.  Red on the map represents areas of the city with more than eleven feet of floodwaters.

Topographic maps from the U.S. Geological Survey (above) note elevation levels and reveal the locations of canals and levees between the river and the lake.  These maps have been useful in studying the history of the development of the city.

Maps from the GRMC circulate for two weeks or longer.  For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Heart-Shaped Islands from Google Earth

Galesnjak, Croatia (Google Earth)

Tavarua Island, Fiji (Google Earth)

Happy Valentine's Day from the GIS Research and Map Collection

Mississippi River Survey Maps from Ball State University Libraries

Follow the River:  Mississippi River Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has added a set of Mississippi River maps to the Digital Media Repository (DMR).  This collection provides online access to a set of twelve maps of the Mississippi River including maps of the river streams and channels from Cairo, Illinois to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The maps were published by the U.S. Army War College in 1941.

The twelve maps linked together form the whole of the river (see photograph above).  Users can view the changes in the course of the river over time.  The river course changes are color-coded based on the date of the survey:  Some of the maps include surveys from 1765, 1820-1830, 1881-1893; all of the maps include surveys from 1930-1932.

The Digital MediaRepository allows users to access and download files for research and learning.  For more information about using the DMR, please contact the Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078. 

Maps in the News

Maps in the News from the Ball State University GIS Research and Map Collection

Jordan, 2009

Jordan, 2009

Iraq, February 1, 2015

Thomas van Linge

Nigeria and Cameroon, 2015

BBC News

Free Online Course from ESRI

Location Data:  Free Online GIS Course Available from ESRI

ESRI, the leading GIS software producer, is offering a free online course for learning about the capabilities of spatial analysis.  The course is for users who have knowledge about data analysis but want to learn more specifically about location-based spatial data analysis.  Free access to the full analytical capabilities of ArcGIS Online (ESRI’s cloud-based GIS platform) is available during the course.

The course implements hands-on exercises, short video lectures, quizzes, case studies, and discussion and lasts six weeks, with two to three hours of study per week.  A certificate of completion and prizes are awarded.  The course begins March 4, 2015.  Register to save a place in the class.

Ball State University participates in an educational site license program with ESRI.  University faculty and staff have free access to the full site of ESRI software products for teaching, research, and administration purposes.  The GIS software is available for use in the Ball State University Libraries on computers in the GIS Research Area and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library, Educational Technology and Resources Collection in the lower level, and the Architecture Library.

For more information about using GIS software, please contact Angela Gibson, GIS Specialist, in the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Black History Month Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Atlas of African American History

Ball Brothers Factory Band

The Geography of Black History

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) includes maps and atlases that feature some of the people, places, and events in African-American history.  Last year the Cornerstone Center for the Arts presented a program using maps from the GRMC in honor of Black History Month.  The presentation can be viewed in the Cardinal Scholar institutional repository.

The presentation also featured many of the photographs available from the Digital Media Repository, including The Other Side of Middletown collection.  The scope of the presentation follows history beginning with slavery to the civil rights movement to more recent issues and also features custom maps created by the GRMC, including a map of prominent women in Black history.

For more information about any of the maps or other resources, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.