Module # 2 Google Table, Tableau and Geographic map

 This assignment was to explore data through geographic visualization. I used the dataset search available through Google and combed through dozens of sources that referenced and categorized data through state/city locations. I began by looking up sources that observed soil aridity and ecological phenomena. After finding limited resources that could make use of the map feature I moved on to other datasets that could directly relate to similar topics. It proved very difficult to find data that directly incorporated geographic data that could be recognized by Tableau. I am not familiar with this resource, and thus found it hard to specify and isolate datasets through the search engine despite my best attempts to find any that could identify variables for use in the software and create a map. Simply, I ended up just exploring the software through numerous datasets and finding different tools and uses for the application and what it could be used for when articulating data. 

 https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/smart-location-database1

https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/smart-location-mapping

https://opendata.hawaii.gov/dataset/national-geodetic-survey-control-stations

These are just a few of the dataset resources I chose to examine and pilfer through by means of the Tableau software. I was ultimately unsuccessful in creating a map; the qualifications that tableau needed made it quite hard to find data that met its requirements and I opted to present a similar graphic instead.

Each of these boxes represent a specific location (a city within a state) that had data reported on for their National Walkability Index. The concentration of each location is demonstrated through the size and color saturation of each individual block within the design. The locations are listed when the mouse hovers over the respective block, providing information on the index, location, and details about the number of instances.