For the past year or so I have been working on learning how to write Javascript D3 code and use that knowledge to write a new visualization for the "Travelers" section on Itinera. This is an update of the progress I've made while at the VMW this summer.
In May I started learning how to navigate the server that Itinera is on. Along with that I was introduced for the first time to the code that runs Itinera's current "Travelers" visualization. Spending time reading the code and figuring out what parts do what was really beneficial to my overall understanding. Throughout June and July I was able to make a basic but working concept of the new visualization. The nodes successfully appear and also respond when clicked on. Unfortunately, the code is buggy and doesn't display the relationships in an informative way. There is still a lot more work to do, but at least the foundation steps are working successfully. I've spent a lot of time watching D3 tutorials and learning the language, but it's a goal of mine to really solidify my understandings. Along with working on Itinera, this summer I have been working on a draft for my contribution to a collaborative multi-media essay about Itinera. The prompt is for six members of the Itinera team to present their lived experiences with working on Itinera. The plan for my contribution is to write a short essay and have interactive live code to go with it. Most of my experience has been working on code, which might be difficult to express in writing. Therefore, having a live interactive example will be an informative way to show the process and how it works. On the top of my to-do list is to write the essay portion, then figure out how to make visualizations that are compatible online and descriptive. Throughout the summer I've also worked on transcriptions for the Decomposing Bodies project. I look forward to continuing my work at the VMW when the fall semester starts!