Overview
Creating maps for 90753-A4: Advanced GIS
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About Me
Hello! My name is Nicole (she/her) and I’m a second-year master’s candidate at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. I’m originally from New York City and have an academic background in history and Africana Studies. I’m interested in social policy, particularly anti-poverty policies, and hope to use my skills in data visualization (and GIS in particular) as a tool for developing more equitable policies – it’s much easier to solve issues when we know (1) Who is being impacted; (2) Where they are; and (3) The root cause of the issue.
Outside of class, I’m an avid baker (and take requests!), hiker, and museum-goer!
Learning Goals
Prior to graduate school, I worked in political communications and community organizing; my job was to convey information in a way that was clear, succinct, and actionable. At CMU, I connected with a new approach to this type of work: data visualization! Data can be intimidating and difficult to wrap your mind around – having clean visualizations allows people to engage with information and expand their understanding in a way that would not be possible if they were to just stare at a .csv file. Visual tools, like GIS, bridge communication gaps.
Thus, I’m mostly interested in GIS as an explanatory tool, rather than an exploratory one (although there is certainly value in both!). My goals for this semester are aimed at improving as a cartographer and storyteller – I want to be able to blend complex data analysis with clear, refined aesthetics to build maps that are not only easy to understand, but make information “click” for my audience. I would really like to work on mastering my use of color – I’m unfortunately still at the stage where I can tell that my colors look off, but can’t quite figure out how to fix them!
And, if I get to polish up my Python skills so they’re actually usable in a professional environment, that would be an added bonus.
My Work
Final Project Part 2: Building a Housing Vulnerability Prediction Model for New York
Final Project Part 1: Building a Housing Vulnerability Model for Atlanta (Scrapped)
Exploring the DEA Pain Pill Database in ArcGIS Insights
In-class Lab: Experimenting with ArcGIS Insights
Generating a map for a non-profit