On Sunday, the four of us met in the history department and reviewed where we are now with the project and what we have left to do.  Taylor showed us the model spreadsheet he is creating that will be transformed into a Json script so we can use it to visualize data. I presented the maps I’d found and we decided on what would be best to use for layering. We want to depict three historical periods corresponding to the three cemeteries belonging to Congregation Shearith Israel. Although we’re focusing on the second cemetery, using this framework will allow us to depict the growth and development of the city, which is a large part of the story we’re telling with this project.

We also talked about how we would design the site in terms of what we can and/or should visualize to demonstrate how this model works, the structure of the site interface, and what type of historical information we’ll include in a “mini-essay” section. Conn, Davide, and I have divided up this historiographical task,  and Taylor is creating a logo for the platform. We are meeting again this Tuesday evening (April 26). Finding time to work together outside of class, even if we’re doing individual tasks, has been extremely helpful. (For one thing, we are not in a small, hot, crowded room.) But more important, I think face-to-face interaction makes it easier to bounce ideas off of each other, helps to develop a mutual vision for the project, and sharpens our focus. This is true, at least, for the project manager (me).  As the project manager, I can also say that meeting outside of class also reaffirms to me that everyone on our team has been absolutely indispensable to this project – not just because they know what they’re doing and they work hard at it, but because they have each contributed ideas, knowledge, and a personal sensibility that have been vital to the project’s development.