The Power of Maps

I’m just starting to track who looks at our webpage and in particular the maps that are posted.  I never dreamed that such fist-o-cuffs would erupt over our animated map showing the history of US settlement.  I (add some of the students who work with me) created this map for a political science instructor.  I took it off-line for a period because:

1. I was receiving way too many requests for the data (all of which I answered)

and

2. People were emailing snarky little comments about leaving out native americans, canadians!, etc.

You can follow some of the tirade at the reddit site.  I ultimately re-enabled the site after an email from a grade school teacher in Pennsylvania who uses the site in her teaching.  Live and learn.