3-D Maps on Display at Ball State University Libraries

Celebrating Earth Day with Maps at Ball State University Libraries

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and what better way to celebrate than with maps of beautiful places around the world!  The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is exhibiting maps created by students from Dr. Jody Rosenblatt-Naderi’s Landscape Architecture 602 class. 

The models depict places around the world, including the rain forest of Costa Rica, a canoe race in Bora Bora, and rice terraces in China.  The students created the maps using paper maps and GIS data from the GRMC.

The maps are located on the front cabinets in the GRMC on the second floor of Bracken Library.  The display will run through the month of April.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Interactive Map of Queen Elizabeth II's Travels

Mapping the Travels of Queen Elizabeth II

Today is the 91^st birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.  Last September, Queen Elizabeth II officially became the longest-reigning monarch, overtaking Queen Victoria.  But while Victoria ruled over a larger British Empire, Queen Elizabeth II has definitely logged more travel miles.

The Telegraph created this interactive map using ESRI GIS software to show all of the places Queen Elizabeth II traveled during her reign.  She visited 116 countries during 265 official visits.  (Queen Victoria never traveled beyond Europe).  Queen Elizabeth’s first official visit was to Bermuda in 1953.  Canada leads in the number of visits by the Queen, with Australia second and New Zealand in third.  Queen Elizabeth II has visited the United States five times.

There are also restrictions on the travel of the Queen.  She is not allowed to visit Israel for political reasons.  And Greece exiled the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip) and his family, so the Queen is not allowed to travel to the country.

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) consolidates one-on-one research assistance from the GIS Specialist with the GIS Research Area, which offers access to ESRI GIS software, online tutorials, datasets, online mapping applications, and in-house GIS data.  GIS software is also available on computers throughout Bracken Library, the Architecture Library, and the Science-Health Science Library.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Tracking U.S. Navy Ships

Places in the News:  Mapping the Locations of Naval Ships

The United States Naval Update Map shows the approximate current locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups and other ships based on available open-source data.  A Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is centered on an aircraft carrier, which projects U.S. naval and air power and includes significant offensive strike capability. 

One particular CSG is the USS Carl Vinson based out of San Diego, California.  The location of this ship has been in the news in relation to the situation in North Korea.  According to the map, the USS Carl Vinson CSG was on a scheduled port visit to Singapore on April 6.  An update from the commander of the ship announced that the ship’s “deployment has been extended 30 days to provide a persistent presence in the Waters off the Korean Peninsula.”

Culture Event this Friday at Ball State University

International Sip and Chat at Ball State University

The Rinker Center for International Programs is hosting an event this Friday, April 21, to teach about the culture of India.  “International Sip and Chat” will be held from 3:00 to 4:30 pm in the Yuhas Room in the Student Center.  The event provides American students, international students, faculty, and others a place to relax and chat while enjoying Masala tea and snacks.  The event will include cultural activities and name translations.

Maps Reveal the Disappearance of Wild Bees

University of Vermont

BBC News

Cheerios "Bring Back the Bees" map

Cartography of the Disappearing Honeybee

Each year $3 billion of the United States economy depends on pollination from native pollinators such as wild bees.  A recent study proves the fear that wild bees are disappearing, which could lead to decreased U.S. crop production.

Ironically, the disappearance of the wild bees is related to increased crop production.  According to Bee Culture.com, “the decline of bees may be caused by the conversion of bee habitat into cropland.  In 11 key states where the map shows bees in decline, the amount of land tilled to grow corn spiked by 200% in five years, replacing grasslands and pastures that once supported bee populations.”

A University of Vermont study of wild bees indicated a mismatch between a diminishing supply of bees and a rising demand on crop pollination.  The study estimates that wild bee abundance declined in 23% of the contiguous United States from 2008 to 2013.  Commercial honeybee keepers and pollination services have faced increased demand, so wild bees are even more important.

Nearly 40% of the croplands in the country depend on pollinators.  Globally 66% of the most important crops either benefit from or require pollinators, including coffee, cacao, and many fruits and vegetables.

The University of Vermont study’s map above identifies 139 counties in critical regions for agriculture:  California’s Central Valley, the Pacific Northwest, the corn belt of the Midwest and Great Plains, west Texas, and the Mississippi River valley.  Even less pollinator-dependent crops like soybeans and cotton are grown in large quantities in these areas.  The most pollinator-dependent crops are threatened in these areas—pumpkins, peaches, apples, blueberries, watermelons, plums, and almonds.

The BBC map of bee abundance was created by combining a number of databases with expert opinion.  The map shows bee abundance in 2013 with a darker blue color.

Conservation of bee habitats is the best solution, including incentives for farmers to grow more pollinator-dependent crops and decreased production of crops produced for biofuels.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service encourages Americans everywhere to plant pollinator gardens of wildflowers, even in window boxes in urban environments.

Companies that are consumers of bee-related products are also getting involved with the conservation of wild bees.  Burt’s Bees is a popular lip balm and beauty products company.  The founder was actually a beekeeper.  The company has supported pollinator health through research, education, conservation, and grants and supports of community projects.  In 2016, the company launched the “Bring Back the Bees” campaign, which created more than 10,000 acres of healthy honeybee forage.

General Mills, maker of Honey Nut Cheerios, exceeded its goal of giving away 100 million seeds this year.  The company gave away 1.5 billion wildflower seeds through a successful social media “Bring Back the Bees” campaign.  The map above shows the locations of customers receiving the seeds.

Coachella Festival Maps

2008 Coachella map

2014 Coachella map

2017 Coachella map

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Maps

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival begins this weekend, running April 14-16 and April 21-23.  Lady Gaga is the headliner act, with dozens of other acts from various genres performing during the event.  The popular festival is also becoming an important celebration of the culinary arts with celebrity chefs replacing the typical carnival food.  And Coachella organizers create an artistic, colorful map of the festival grounds each year, similar to concert posters as unique works of art.

Muncie History Class at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts

What’s the Story?  Muncie History Class at Cornerstone Center for the Arts

What’s the story behind those statues by the City-County Government Building?  What’s the story behind those beautiful columns at Minnetrista?  Who lived in that beautiful mansion next to Hazelwood Christian Church?  Is Elliott Hall at Ball State University haunted?  And what’s the story with that giant lumberjack?  The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is sponsoring a presentation, The Story Behind…, that answers the background questions behind some of Muncie’s most iconic people, buildings, and other points of interest.  

The presentation will be a panel discussion at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts on Thursday, April 13 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the Legacy Room on the third floor.  The program will feature historic maps, photographs, and diary entries of some of the city founders.  Panelists will provide interesting, little-known stories behind the historic architecture and colorful characters in Muncie history.

Panelists include Karen Vincent, Director of Collections at the Minnetrista Cultural Center; Jeff Koenker, Ball State University Libraries and administrator of the Lost Muncie Facebook page; Paul Stout, retired map librarian from the Ball State University Libraries; Bob Good, historic preservationist and Delaware County Historical Society; and Brandon Pieczko, Digital Archivist at the Ball State University Libraries Archives and Special Collections.  Attendees are encouraged to participate in the discussion.

This event is free and appropriate for all ages.  The Cornerstone Center for the Arts is located at 520 East Main Street in downtown Muncie.  Free parking is available.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

World War I Exhibit at Ball State University Libraries

Centennial Anniversary of the War to End All Wars

Tomorrow, April 6, is the 100^th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I.  Europe erupted into war in 1914, but President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States.  But following a number of German attacks on civilian ships—killing American citizens, Congress voted to declare war on Germany.  The U.S. officially entered the war on April 6, 1917.

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) created this exhibit (above, click to enlarge) to commemorate this date in history.  “America Over There:  April 6, 1917” includes maps showing the country borders of Europe before and after the war.  Photographs from atlases in the Atlas Collection and from the Digital Media Repository (DMR) are also included in the display.  And patriotic posters from the Elisabeth Ball Collection are also shown.  The exhibit is in the windows of the GRMC on the east side of the second floor in Bracken Library.

The GRMC also provided World War I-era maps for a collection in the DMR.  The New York Times World War I Maps includes a set of five maps that connect to create a larger map of the Western Front in France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.  A rare historic map of Hungary created for use at the Treaty of Trianon at the end of the war is also available for viewing in the Archives and Special Collections in Bracken Library.  

For more information about using historic resources from the University Libraries collections, please contact the Archives and Special Collections at 765-285-5078 or the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Live Map of World Conflicts

Mapping World Conflict Zones

Liveuamap is an open data-driven site that identifies conflicts happening in key places around the world.  Users can select a language, a list of events connected to social media, a time, or zoom in to a specific place on the map to learn about conflicts.

The categories for the maps are: Ukraine, Syria, Isis, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the world.  The conflicts are also divided by color—for example, on the map of the Ukraine (top above), blue represents the Ukrainian government, NATO, or other Western forces while red represents Russia or Russian militants.

On the map of Syria above, green represents the areas of rebel forces, and the red zones are controlled by the Syrian government, Russia, Iran, the Hezbollah, and Shiite groups from Iraq.  Users can view photographs, watch press conferences, and read tweets and other reports posted from social media.  And the conflicts also include natural disasters and incidents involving wildlife—the key for the maps is extensive.

World Atlas of Golf Available from Ball State University Libraries

Amen to That:  Golf Course Maps at Ball State University Libraries

The Masters Tournament, better known as "The Masters," begins this week at the Augusta National Golf Club.  The Ball State University Libraries has unique cartographic resources for research and learning, and one such resource is the World Atlas of Golf available from the Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library.

The atlas was created by Mark Rowlinson and published in 2008.  It features computer-generated maps of golf courses around the world—from St. Andrews in Scotland to Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic.  An entire section of the atlas is dedicated to maps of the Augusta National Golf Course.  The famous feature, “Amen Corner,” is featured (above, click to enlarge).

Atlases may be circulated for 28 days or longer.  For more information, please contact the GIS Research and Map Collection in Bracken Library at 765-285-1097.

GIS Map of World Terrorist Attacks

Mapping Terror in the World with GIS

ESRI, the world’s leading publisher of GIS software, in conjunction with PeaceTechLab, has created an online map of the 2017 terrorist attacks.  The map uses crowdsourced data to present a chronological timeline of terrorist attacks around the world—so far the site has identified 333 attacks with 2,043 fatalities.  Only the continents of Australia and Antarctica have not recorded an incident.

The administrators of the map note that crowdsourced data can include inaccuracies and that even the definition of terrorism is subjective.  Users are encouraged to submit corrections to the map.

Users can zoom in to to learn about a specific incident on the map.  The incident information includes the specific location, the terrorist group responsible, and the number of fatalities.  Users can also choose to view the number of incidents perpetrated by individual terrorist groups like the Islamic State, Boko Haram, or the Taliban (above, click to enlarge).  And the groups are color-coded on the map.

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) consolidates one-on-one research assistance from the GIS Specialist with the GIS Research Area, which offers access to ESRI GIS software, online tutorials, datasets, online mapping applications, and in-house GIS data.  GIS software is also available on computers throughout Bracken Library, the Architecture Library, and the Science-Health Science Library.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

St. Petersburg Metro Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

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Maps in the News:  St. Petersburg, Russia

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) includes over 140,000 maps, over 3,000 atlases from around the world, and other cartographic resources available for research and learning.  One of the unique cartographic resources is the is the book, Transit Maps of the World, by Mark Ovenden.

The book was published in 2003 and includes public transit maps from 97 cities around the world.  “This book celebrates the diversity of rail-based transit systems in urban environments by collecting…their cartographic evolution.”  One of the transit systems included in the book is the St. Petersburg Metro.

According to the book, in 2003 St. Petersburg had an urban population of 4.7 million people.  The length of the route is 64.7 miles.  There are 54 stations, and the first section was opened in 1955.  Nearly 58% of the system is underground.  The Metro claims some of the world’s longest escalators due to the depth of the tunnels.

The stations in the St. Petersburg system are ostentatiously decorated (second only to Moscow).  “Metro Line 1 was as much an art and architecture exhibition” when it opened in 1955 “as a public transit system.”

“Lines 1 to 3 were mostly completed by the early 1970’s, as seen on a commemorative poster from 1975 (4, above—click to enlarge).  There were a few extensions afterward (1), but the first part of the orange Line 4 only opened in 1985 (2) and was extended at either end in the 1990’s (3), when signs of the current diagram can be detected.  The current diagram shows the popular “M” logo that can be seen all over the city (5).

For more information about using cartographic resources for research and learning, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Play Ms. Pac-Man on Google Maps

Flashback Friday: Google Maps Offers Ms. Pac-Man on Your Phone

Google Maps users can now play the classic Ms. Pac-Man arcade game on their phones.  Download or open Google Maps on your phone, and then select the Ms. Pac-Man icon on the main screen.  The map will transform into the classic arcade game, and then just scroll up, down, left, or right.  If you’re in a rural area, you can move the map to another city with more of a detailed grid pattern.  (Warning: Paris, France is a tricky layout).

Women's History Month Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

Cartographic Celebration of Women’s History Month

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) on the second floor of Bracken Library is celebrating Women’s History Month with a public presentation in downtown Muncie.  Mapping Notable Women around the World will be presented at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts (520 East Main Street) on Wednesday, March 29 from 6:00 to 7:00 in the Colonnade Room.

The presentation will feature maps depicting the lives of amazing women around the world and in Muncie, and women often overlooked by history books are highlighted:  A map about the life of civil rights activist Fannie Harmer (above, click to enlarge) identifies important places and events in her life.  And a map about fashion designer Ann Cole Lowe, who was the un-credited creator of Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown, will be included.  Also included is the featured “Map of the Month” in the GRMC on the second floor of Bracken Library--a map about Indiana native Margaret Hamilton, who wrote the computer code for the Apollo space missions.

The presentation will also feature maps about women’s issues around the world.  Maps identifying education and employment inequality, women in government, healthcare issues, and discrimination and advancements in society will be shown.  And photographs from the Libraries’ digital archives will be incorporated.

The GRMC created a special collection of online maps for Women’s History Month available from the Libraries’ Cardinal Scholar institutional repository.  These include maps about women working in agriculture, female heads of state, women in tertiary teaching, and even the travels of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  (Type “women in the world map” in the search box to access the available cartographic resources).

The presentation is open to the public and suitable for all ages.  Free parking is available.  For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Ireland Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

St. Patrick’s Home:  Ireland Maps in Bracken Library

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has extensive cartographic resources about Ireland.  The collection includes convenient travel maps of Dublin and other cities, geological maps of Ireland, rivers, peat maps, glacial landforms, fishing resources, and cultural maps depicting Irish family names and coats of arms.

Historical maps of Ireland are also available in the GRMC and from the Atlas Collection.  Atlas of Irish History was published by Methuen and includes maps about invasions of Ireland (above, click to enlarge), battle sites, and historic families.  Atlas of Ireland was published by the Irish National Committee for Geography.  This atlas includes maps about soils, geomorphology, flora and fauna, manufacturing, settlement and population maps, and society and culture.

The Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library also includes Atlas of the Great Irish Famine, Frommer’s Road Atlas, The Ordnance Survey Road Atlas of Ireland, Blaeu’s Atlas of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, and an atlas called The Hennessy Brandy Dublin Street Finder.  Atlases circulate for 28 days or longer.

The GRMC created a cartographic guide for finding resources in the Libraries.  Users can also access the Libraries’ Digital Media Repository and Cardinal Scholar for more maps of Ireland.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Black History Month Maps Program in Muncie

Hidden Figures: Black History Month Maps Program in Muncie

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) will be presenting a program featuring maps celebrating Black History Month.  The program will be on Tuesday, February 28 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts in downtown Muncie.

The class, Hidden Figures: Celebrating the Untold Stories of Black History, will feature custom maps created by the GRMC.  The maps depict the lives of some of the lesser known figures and events in African American history, including maps about civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer (above, click to enlarge), fashion designer Ann Lowe, the civil rights movement in Indiana, the use of the popular “Green Books,” and the life of Muncie leader Hurley Goodall.

The class is free and open to the public.  The Cornerstone Center for the Arts is located at 520 East Main Street, and the program is in the Colonnade Room.  Free parking is available on the north side of the building.

For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

North Korea Maps Available from Ball State University Libraries

CNN map of North Korea missile launch

Maps in the News:  North Korea and the Sea of Japan, or Is It the East Sea?

North Korea tested a reported new ballistic missile on Sunday evening, a violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution banning missile launches by the nation.  News reports state that the missile traveled about 300 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan.

The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) includes a large collection maps of the Korean Peninsula, including North and South Korea separately and historically as one nation.  

A map of North Korea is available in the International Historic Maps Collection of the Digital Media Repository.  The map is published in the Russian language in 1912.

The Sea of Japan is also included in maps instructional sessions given by the GRMC as part of the study of place name disputes.  The “Sea of Japan” is the name of the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and the islands of Japan.  The Japanese government supports the use of the name “Sea of Japan.”  The governments of North Korea and South Korea support the use of the name “East Sea” for the same body of water. 

The international governing body for the naming of bodies of water rejected the Korean claim and officially use the name “Sea of Japan.”  However, most maps include both names—usually with “East Sea” listed in parenthesis.  Maps published by the Korean governments, though, list only “East Sea” for the name of the water (above).

The Atlas Collection on the second floor of Bracken Library also includes several resources about the Korean Peninsula.  East Sea in Old Western Maps is an atlas published by the Korean Overseas Information Service in Seoul in 2004 for “The Society for East Sea.”  The book includes historic maps that label the neighboring body of water as the “East Sea” and includes a chapter arguing the historical points for using the name:  “Six libraries’ map collections in this study…” confirm that “appellations like ‘East Sea,’ ‘Oriental Sea,’ ‘Sea of Korea’…had been in much wider use than ‘Sea of Japan’ from the 16^th century through the mid-19^th.”

Maps from the GRMC are available for circulation for two weeks or longer.  And atlases circulate for 28 days or longer.

Celebrating Black History Month with Maps

Black History Month:  Map of Moments that Changed the World

On this day in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed the 13^th Amendment outlawing slavery in the United States.  The Ball State University Libraries’ GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has created a new custom map in celebration of Black History Month to commemorate the 13^th Amendment and other important people and events.  Black History: Moments that Changed the World is a map based on the book 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith, Jr. featuring illustrations by Shane W. Evans and The Atlas of African-American History by James Ciment.

The map (excerpt above, click to enlarge) features some of the watershed moments in African-American history.  The map identifies the location of the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, a conductor on the Underground Railroad and spy during the Civil War.  Chicago is featured on the map as the hometown of President Barack Obama and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, who opened the first African American-owned hospital in the country.

The GRMC also has custom maps about the Negro League Baseball teams, the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., millionaire businesswoman Madam C.J. Walker, and a map about the life of Sojourner Truth.  The maps are available for circulation from the GRMC and may be used for classroom research and exhibits.

A subject guide identifying African-American cartographic resources is also available from the GRMC.  For more information about using cartographic resources in the study of Black History, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.  

Immigration Maps in the News

Maps in the News: Mapping United States Immigration

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) provides research assistance for students writing papers and presentations.  Staff in the GRMC conduct instructional sessions for professors to introduce students to using cartographic resources as a primary source.  Students (and other researchers) can learn about the vast world of maps, atlases, and other cartographic resources.

Many Web pages feature unique maps that portray geographic trends and depict current world issues in a truly visual format.  One site used by the GRMC for research projects is Metrocosm.  Metrocosm is a collection of maps created by Max Galka, an entrepreneur and computer engineer.  These unique maps provide dynamic depictions of numerous topics.  The latest maps on the site describe the flow of international trade, show election results in 3-D, map the waste management of New York City, and show traffic patterns across the United States.

One of the maps used by the GRMC in recent current events presentations is “Here’s Everyone Who’s Immigrated to the U.S. Since 1820: Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration.”  According to the site, 79 million people obtained lawful permanent resident status in the United States from 1820 to 2013, and the map shows their migration patterns.  On the map, each dot represents 10,000 people. A timeline at the bottom of the map shows which countries had the most people migrating to the U.S, so users can track events that influenced migration--like the Irish Potato Famine (above, click to enlarge).  The top three countries for each decade and the total number of people migrating are listed in the corner.

Another popular map is “All the World’s Immigration Visualized in One Map.”  This map shows the inflows and outflows of immigration by origin and destination country between 2010 and 2015.

For more information about using maps as a visual aid in research and learning, please contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.

Holiday Hours at the Ball State University Libraries

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) will be closed on Monday, January 16 in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  The GRMC will reopen on Tuesday at 8:00 am.