blog 4

 

     Based off of the reading in the textbook, discusses the main topics in chapter 6 and 7. Data mining and analysis and information visualization. Data mining can be described as choosing specific and important pieces of information from a large database. On the other hand information visualization takes complex data and turns it into visuals that can help you interpret patterns.  These concepts are important for specific pieces of work like the Six Degrees of Francis Bacon http://www.sixdegreesoffrancisbacon.com/?ids=10000473&min_confidence=60&type=network

. This project focuses on visuals to map out trends to help show the historical link between people. Another good example of this is the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow https://www.yttassociation.org/our-research  which visually shows trends by tracking visuals. This is important for this project because it is able to track pieces of data that might have been overseen by larger data sets.  

     Based on Franco Moretti using distant readings, it gives an opportunity to study large collections by highlighting general trends as opposed to detailed accounts. Although Problems of scale does emphasize the struggle analyzing large masses of data without impacting the context. This technique allows room for broader patterns and is not focused on the individual but instead the plural. This can easily relate to my project of the slave voyages when reflecting on distant reading. Frequency graphs and word clouds are a way to analyze textual patterns and allow the larger trends to form in ways the average reading technique may overlook.  Distant reading is a way to research and  identify important historical data for example like boat logs, chartering courses and historical figures. This can help broaden the data making it easier to analyze. This information is invaluable for research and education using digital humanities. DH is always evolving, making the revelations of new data constant. 

Using these important techniques for analysis and understanding large data sets and discovering new patterns and relationships throughout history are given to us by  online platforms like the slave voyage and network analysis. Although there are always some drawbacks data has show that these techniques can be revolutionary for the historical projects brings to light new connections and information     



















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