by When reflecting upon the different digital tools I used across my Introduction to Digital Humanities class, I had realized how beneficial each tool could be for current or prospective scholars in my field. The three tools we used (Voyant, Kepler.gl, and Palladio) each provided a different set of parameters, toolsets, and commands that set each tool different from one another. Despite these differences, there are some key comparisons between the three digital programs we used throughout the semester. Before we delve into that, however, I briefly want to go over each digital program.
Voyant is an open-source, web-based application for performing text analysis for scholarly reading and interpretation of texts. It is particularly utilized by scholars in the digital humanities to analyze online texts or ones uploaded by users. Voyant focuses on creating digital visualizations such as world clouds and frequency charts that help the user better analyze their data.
Kepler.gl is a powerful open source digital tool that specializes in mapping tools and geospatial analyses for large-scale data sets. By creating data-driven maps, scholars that specialize within the digital humanities profession can visualize large amounts of mapping data with various interactive functionalities which can be used for visualization and data analysis within a geospatial context.
Palladio is a data-driven toolset for analyzing relationships across time through graphical interfaces based on humanistic inquiry. The program’s purpose utilizes visualization and analytical tools to help scholarly communities and networks to create a map or graph that connects different elements for their users to understand trends or connections across different periods of time, such as migration or transportation. The program was also made for a project by Stanford students who mapped out early modern communication networks graphically, aiming to connect the centers of Enlightenment thought.
With the introductions out of the way, we can now delve into the key comparisons between the three digital programs as I mentioned in the first paragraph. For one, they all specialize in data visualization, where what we put into the programs present the data sets and metadata that is inputted. These programs are able to handle large amounts of quantitative data and compile them into a graph or map for their users to present or understand. Another comparison of note is the fact that Voyant, Kepler.gl, and Palladio are all web-based programs. Each program offers user-friendly ways to interact with the data they have, providing a variety of ways for users to customize, use, interact, and present their programs.
In conclusion, each of the digital programs are distinct in their own right, containing both distinct advantages and problems with their use. However, I also believe that the comparisons mentioned above are significant as well. No matter how basic, these digital tools all play a big role in understanding the role of digital humanities and its impact in the history and humanities professions. With all the data we collect, these programs provide new and current users with ease of use, as well as intermediate and advanced methods for scholars to create visualized datasets for research and other scholarly purposes.
