GGS 310 Blog

For my final project I would like to map the density of running/exercise routes across Virginia/Maryland/Washington DC. The reason for this topic is that I have recently started running after my usual exercise routine and was researching popular routes people were taking in my area. The audience of my map will be mainly the population of the areas I am mapping, but also extends to anyone interested in the topic.
I plan on creating a dot-density map. I considered creating a chloropleth but I believe a dot-density will create the more interesting, impactful map. I think being able to see clusters of routes in different cities across the area will be very interesting to the reader as opposed to each county/city shaded in a single color.
There are a variety of apps that incorporate GPS technology to allow users to track their runs. I will be using a popular app, MapMyRun, to retrieve my data through their online site. MapMyRun collects users' data and makes all of these routes available online for others to use. They provide the number of routes mapped by users per city which is what I will be using to determine how many dots I will be placing throughout my map.
A challenge I am anticipating is whether or not to expand or decrease the scope of my map. I am unsure that I will be happy with the actual visual as I have not yet began plotting my dots yet. After reviewing all of the data I may need to adjust the values of each dot as I am worried that smaller areas such as Washington DC will be too saturated with dots.
Below is a screenshot from a heatmap of bike routes created by STRAVA, another popular app, more often used for cycling.