Exploring the Geography of Systemic Racism With Spatial Data Science


  Date: 2024-07-16
  Author: Ranganath, Aditya
Source: https://doi.org/10.25810/x6yz-6g18
  License: CC BY-NC 4.0
  Domain: Understanding Data, Processing Data, Persuading with Data
  Subdomain: Mapping Data
  Type of Resource: Tutorial

This tutorial provides a step-by-step introduction to making maps in R, an open-source programming language commonly used by data scientists. Instead of making maps using a point-and-click interface (as in the QGIS tutorial), students will learn to write basic code in the R programming language. Substantively, the tutorial leverages data from the Open Policing Project at Stanford University to make a map of county-level variation in racially biased traffic policing practices in the state of Colorado. Given the diversity and richness of the Stanford Open Policing Project dataset, instructors could easily adapt the lesson by using data on states or geographic locales relevant to their students. At the end of the tutorial, students are invited to explore various questions that invite them to think broadly about the relationship between maps and effective data advocacy.

Keywords:  Policing    Systemic Racism    Geographic Information Systems    Spatial Data Science    R Programming Language  

MLA Citation: Ranganath, Aditya. ‘Exploring the Geography of Systemic Racism with Spatial Data Science. University of Colorado Boulder. 15 July, 2024. https://doi.org/10.25810/x6yz-6g18.


Please note that the citation and link provided above will direct users to a landing page that contains the lesson material; it can be downloaded directly from that landing page page. Alternatively, users can use a version of the lesson hosted on GitHub pages; a link to the GitHub lesson page is available on the landing page. In addition, the landing page provides citation information to a published paper that introduces the tutorial, which was published in the Journal of Map and Geography Libraries. Instructors interested in using or adapting this tutorial are encouraged to read this paper for relevant background information.