My methods for this deep mapping project followed two steps: first, historical and experiential research on the Randolph Quadrangle, and second, practice using GIS and mapping technology along with the actual creation of the maps.

In order to choose the main components that I would map out, I started by visiting Randolph quadrangle and driving around or walking to see what features of the area struck me. I was rather confused by the area at first because I am used to cityscapes and not the very rural landscape of the space. However, after driving around in circles for a short while, I was able to find a spot to park and get out of the car to take photos and explore. From my walk, I noticed the railway that seemed to be the central feature of Randolph City, so I decided to research this railway. With the help of the reference librarians and the Gould Library databases, I narrowed down a timeline of the development of the Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern Railway and decided to make a map of this using 3D flyover.

After my walk, I decided to do more research on the area, and I discovered some small biographies of people who had lived in Randolph quadrangle. I had heard from friends about the app Geocache that encourages people to explore the area around them through scavenger-like puzzles. I considered creating a couple Geocaches revolving around these biographies, but my professor Austin Mason pointed out that this may prove to be intrusive to those people’s lives, so I had to find another method.

I had found a lot of ecological data on the bodies of water near Randolph city: the Cannon River and Lake Byllesby. I thought it was very interesting that the lake resulted from the building of a dam. I wanted to make a kind of game centering around the changes in ecological composition of the area due to the formation of Lake Byllesby. However, after trying to complete the Unity game tutorial, I realized that this might be too far out of my skill level. I therefore decided to take my Geocache idea and applied it to this by hiding two Geocaches near the Cannon River and Lake Byllesby and creating a story map cascade about it.

Finally, I also realized that the experience of taking photos and walking around Randolph was in itself a kind of mapping technique. I therefore made my final map more of a personal one by creating a story map representing the photos I had taken along with my thoughts on the place and the sound I recorded there.

The final challenge was creating all of the maps. The 3D flyover tour took by far the most time because it required a lot of tiny detail work to get the slides right, to make the caption pop-ups, and to make the 3D trains align with the rails. I also had some difficulty deciding how to represent the Geocache idea as a map. I am, however, very happy with the Geocache idea because I believe it truly engages with public heritage by encouraging people to explore the spaces first-hand and learn more about them and their history.

This deep mapping project has shown me how difficult it is to represent a place the way you want, but I have learned that it is absolutely possible if you put in a lot of time and commitment to detail.

Thank you so much to Austin Mason, Wei-Hsin Fu, and Sarah Calhoun!