Mapping social movement seems like a novel idea because of the ability to be able to clearly see the data laid out in front of the viewer. The map of the evictions in San Francisco was particularly appealing to me because it overlayed multiple factors that seemed to be at play when evicting the homeowners. Mapping social movements looks like it would be more useful because you can lay out numerous different aspects onto a map and see the ones that are truly having an impact. This spring break I was reminded of the importance of maps when it comes to the conservation of seabirds. I was able to participate in a project that mapped the flyway of the sooty tern, a seabird, off of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
The work being done by our research team has allowed scientists to understand where the sooty tern goes after it leaves the Florida Keys and when the bird comes back to breed. Scientists initially were able to tell that the birds went to the equator by tagging the birds with a data logger but there were issues with the precision of the data loggers. Technology soon improved and some of the birds were tagged with a GPS tracker that recorded the bird’s movement every single hour. By knowing the location of the birds, scientists were able to construct an accurate GIS map that allowed them to see the damage inflicted by hurricanes on the Sooty Terns. Another exciting map that was created because of the GPS revolved around the migration time of the birds. The Sooty Terns used to come to the Florida Keys every year in June and lay their eggs. However, now they no longer come in June, but instead, they come in March to nest. Scientists were initially baffled by this and came up with the hypothesis that the birds were coming earlier because March was the start of the shrimping season in Key West and they could get by-catch from the boats. By having the GPS tracker, our head researcher was able to overlay the location of the Sooty Terns against where the shrimping activity has been taken place and disprove that hypothesis. Mapping of the bird distribution remains a critical part of science one that can illustrate the health of the oceans and the map also makes it easier for scientists to see where the birds are most vulnerable.
