Imperfect Iteration [Part 1]
The #30DayMapChallenge 2023 Recap
Halo semuanya,
Well, typically, I release the recap of the #30DayMapChallenge, which has become my annual agenda, towards the end of the year. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, I’ve had to delay it for a while. Hopefully, this delay won’t diminish the enthusiasm momentum. However, I genuinely enjoy writing this recap content; it’s somewhat similar to writing a diary or daily journal.
Although I received many blessings in 2023, there were also quite a few unexpected things that happened (and perhaps even disappointing). Initially, as I continued my master’s studies, I thought I would have more time to do a lot of things, such as finishing books I hadn’t completed, exploring my interests, and creating more content for this blog.
I’d say one of the most surprising things for me was discovering that, in reality, studying can be more demanding than working, seriously! It became clear why after I went through it. In a work environment, we and the client mutually rely on each other, whereas in an academic environment, the primary demand is on our part, not from the professor. However, accepting this reality seems to be the only option available 😁.
Coincidentally, the #30DayMapChallenge falls in November, which is a time when I as a student am quite hectic with a lot of things leading up to final exams. So, that’s why I couldn’t manage to execute all the daily challenges this year. Additionally, this year might be the one where I’ve created the most Google Earth Engine (GEE) Apps, as I aimed to save time by bypassing the data preprocessing stages.
For those wondering what #30DayMapChallenge is, it’s a challenge initiated by Topi Tjukanov in 2019 and it has been continuing every November since then. In short, the challenge is to create a map every day for a whole month with different themes each day, without any restrictions on the method or way to create it, and then post it on social media. You can find detailed information on this website.
Day 1 — Points
Whether noticed or not, many extraterrestrial objects enter our planet. However, most of these objects burn up upon entering the atmosphere due to air friction. Fortunately, this causes them to shrink or completely disintegrate, posing no threat to us on the surface.
Objects from outer space that enter planet Earth are known as fireballs and bolides. Since 1988 to the present day, NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program has recorded the locations where these extraterrestrial objects fall. This demonstrates the global distribution of what we commonly or generally classify as small asteroid strikes.
After creating this map, I just realized that its title resembles one of the movies, but believe me, I didn’t do that intentionally.
Tools:
- Figma
- QGIS
Source:
Day 2 — Lines
I didn’t perform a significant amount of data preprocessing stage for today’s challenge, because luckily I still have the DEM data from the previous year’s challenge. While the processing stage isn’t overly difficult, it is quite demanding for my computer. Additionally, it requires trial and error to adjust the elevation lines’ intervals for a natural and aesthetically pleasing appearance.
I’ve often seen elevation data visualized using this joy plot map style. However, it wasn’t until this year’s challenge that I attempted to create one. On further reflection, the joy plot map is a type of map displaying the frequency distribution of data using vertically stacked plot areas. The reason for the “joy” in its name lies in its resemblance to waves or hills, creating a sense of joyfulness.
Tools:
- Figma
- QGIS
Source:
Day 3 — Polygons
This is a map created very quickly, perhaps in less than 1 hour. I did an unsupervised classification using Sentinel-2A data from 2023 to determine the landscape classification of sand dunes in Parangkusumo, Yogyakarta. Yes, I know I missed many QA and/or QC aspects for this map, and some areas should have been classified as buildings or vegetation, but I gave it my best during these exhausting days. Hopefully, it provides you with new insights.
Parangkusumo Sand Dunes is located on the south coast of Yogyakarta, specifically to the west of Parangtritis Beach. These sand dunes are formed from volcanic ash material from Mount Merapi, carried by rivers and waves, then dried and blown by the wind. Parangkusumo Sand Dunes are a rare natural phenomenon, as only four countries in the world have sand dunes, and Indonesia is one of them.
Unfortunately, the current condition of Parangkusumo Sand Dunes is under threat due to various factors, including erosion by wind and water, illegal sand mining and infrastructure development. Additionally, unsustainable tourism activities have the potential to harm the ecosystem of the sand dunes. Therefore, conservation and restoration efforts are needed to preserve the integrity of Parangkusumo Sand Dunes as a world heritage site and a natural laboratory.
By the way, speaking of sand dune mapping, I have a colleague who is an expert on that. Please reach out to him hehe.
Tools:
- Figma
- QGIS
Source:
- Sentinel-2
- Monitoring Gumuk Pasir Parangtritis Tahun 2021 | Parangtritis Geomaritime Science Park (big.go.id)
- Story Map Gumuk Pasir | Parangtritis Geomaritime Science Park (big.go.id)
- Survei Gumuk Pasir Tungtung Karang, Garut, Jawa Barat | Parangtritis Geomaritime Science Park (big.go.id)
Day 4 — A Bad Map
What if we didn’t have the freedom to make life decisions? Surely, it would impact many aspects of life, potentially affecting our level of happiness. Just imagine being restricted in social interactions, education access, career choices, obtaining rights, adequate healthcare support, and even the freedom to embrace beliefs.
The map representing the relationship between freedom in making life choices and the level of happiness draws references from the 2023 World Happiness Report (WHR). The WHR conducts surveys using the Gallup World Poll to inquire about people’s opinions on various life aspects, including their happiness.
This WHR survey employs six variables believed to influence happiness: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption levels. Respondents are asked to assess their current life conditions on a scale from 0 to 10, depicting their best-perceived state of life. This survey produces the Cantril Ladder or the life satisfaction level of people from various countries based on these six variables.
I created a bivariate choropleth map depicting happiness levels and freedom to make life choices. Initially, I presumed that happiness levels align with a country’s status, meaning whether it is categorized as developed or developing. Interestingly, countries in the Americas show high values on both variables. Hence, I could hypothesize that societal happiness levels might not necessarily be influenced by a country’s economic development status, at least from the perspective of the variables I used.
So, why do Nordic countries have high happiness and equality levels?
Perhaps some of us already know that Nordic countries exhibit high happiness levels. As we can observe from the WHR survey results, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway rank in the top 10. One might wonder why this occurs. Based on the WHR survey, they possess strong social trust and support, good physical and mental health, decent income and employment, and positive character traits and pro-social behavior (openness, tolerance, and inclusivity towards differences).
Tools:
- Figma
- QGIS
Source:
Day 5 — Analog Map
Today, I skipped the challenge, but there’s something that’s already in my content draft (unfortunately, it remains unposted) — it’s an analog image from aerial photography I found in one corner of my campus. It’s intriguing because initially, I thought that two ‘mini forests’ or arboretums within Gadjah Mada University (UGM), namely in the Faculty of Biology and Faculty of Forestry, existed before the campus was built. However, it turns out that when UGM was first established, these two arboretums did not yet exist.
According to sources I’ve read, the UGM arboretums underwent the planning process in the 1950s and were gradually developed alongside various campus area constructions. This fact can be observed in the aerial photograph from 1959, where there is no visual representation of dense vegetation. From this, we can conclude that aerial photography or becoming part of remote sensing studies is highly useful for monitoring area development across different periods.
Source:
- Arboretum UGM
- Personal documentation
Day 6 — Asia
I once created a map on the theme of time zones in the 2021 challenge, but this time, the scale is broader, focusing on Asia. The world’s time zones are a method of adjusting time across various locations. Established in 1884, this system utilized the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, as the Prime Meridian or the point of 0 degrees. Each time zone spans 15 degrees from the Prime Meridian, resulting in a one-hour difference from the preceding and succeeding time zones.
However, it’s important to note that these time zones do not necessarily follow lines of longitude but are also influenced by other factors such as political, social, and economic considerations. In Asia, coincidentally, the UTC +08:00 time zone is the most commonly used by various countries. There’s even one country with a large landmass that uses only one-time zone. Can you guess which country I’m referring to?
Tools:
- Figma
- QGIS
Source:
Day 7 — Navigation
This map was created in less than 15 minutes, a very brief time. It might seem lazy and unremarkable, but it stems from my uneasiness when I visited Yogyakarta. We know that this region is rich in traditions and culture, including how its people navigate or determine directions.
When asking locals for directions to a specific location, they are more likely to provide guidance using cardinal directions rather than giving specific street instructions such as turn right, left, U-turn, etc. Even for me, coming from East Java with cultural similarities to Yogyakarta, this was quite surprising.
See the arrow on the map? They are all N, which stands for Ngalor (north), Ngetan (east), Ngidul (south), and Ngulon (west) 😁.
Tools:
- Figma
- QGIS
Will continue to Part 2…
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