Live and Learn in Munich during Lockdown

“Interactive webmap for people currently living and studying in Munich that identifies wonderful places”

What it is about

This map is for University students living and studying in Munich for the first time during a time when government-imposed lockdown regulations preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (coronavirus) are in place [1] . At such a time, many geographies with historical importance to University students new to the city are off limits, and many still-accessible places and spaces offer significantly different experiences than in the past. Our map identifies locations that students making efforts to have good experiences living and studying in the city during a lockdown may need or desire to consider visiting.

How we built it

How we built our map.

Challenges we ran into

Our team’s lack of familiarity with some digital technologies brought about some difficulties. We were also challenged by frequent changes to lockdown regulations and the limited amount of time available to work on the project’s many stages.

What we're proud of

Our map meets an as-yet-unmet need, can easily be used, and has an aesthetically pleasing appearance. Our cartographic process aligned with the mapping workflow frameworks we’ve learned about in our classes.

What we learned

- Principles of good cartographic design
- Software for web cartography, including ArcGIS Online and Mapbox
- Survey research for map user needs assessment
- Munich is a wonderful city, even during a lockdown!

What's next

We hope to increase the map’s content over time with user-generated information, as well as make usability and content improvements with the help of user feedback. We think the map may retain usefulness even after lockdown regulations lift as a guide or information-sharing space.