World Map 1689 By Gerard van Schagen [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

“A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there, between disparate ideas that we did not know were previously connected.”

― Reif Larsen, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet

We’ve tackled Resolutions, Love, Music and Smiles so far this [calendar] year of our CLMOOC Data Postcard Project. As we look toward the [Northern] summer, many of us are planning vacations. In the “old” days, we used printed maps and atlases to guide our way. Now, many of us use Google maps or other apps to guide our excursions.

Maps are not limited to geographical representations. For example, some of us use mind maps and we can also map our genetic heritage.

For this month’s data postcards, inspired by Dear Data, we invite you to share your inspirations related to maps. There are a multitude of possibilities, so the following are just a few ideas:

• Make a map of only the states or countries you have ever visited (or remember visiting); leave off the rest.
• Map your planned summer holiday.
• Map the journey of your favorite literary character.
• Map all the places you visit in a day.
• Map your bucket list.

While you’re mapping, consider contributing to Anna Smith’s map “The View from Here: Technology and Education.”

To join us, go here to sign up (and add more topics if you wish!). (Make sure you’ve signed up for our other CLMOOC postcard list first so you have postal addresses.) The way you share your maps is totally up to you — mail just one data postcard to one person on the list or make some for a few people. We don’t expect you to send a postcard to everyone on the list — you can, but that might be a lot of work.

We will be engaging in this from now until the end of May, with hopes of getting something in the mail by May 15th (more or less — again, no hard and fast rules). Feel free to post what you make or what you receive in all the usual spaces. We look forward to hearing from you!