I looked at Invasions of America, Spatial History Project, and bdote memory map. While not officially a tool or part of the “grammar” the level of context, direction, and disclosure differed pretty vastly between each map. Invasions of America has a brief explanation of features to explore for maximum usage of the site, while the actual memory map is one of four options to learn about the nation. The Spatial History Project utilizes mapping but is more a collection of various topics that one specific area, with a common theme of amplifying and creating a digital footprint of or for underrepresented groups.
For consistency of topic and region (United States), I chose Conservation Histories of California which by far had the most features and visible tools for the user to utilize and with that includes an abundance of information that puts it as the most informative and definitely useful for research. However, it is also the ugliest. For the sake of user experience and accessibility, I would place it last. The hover feature and use of color on Invasion of America was a pleasant experience and I was able to get the information I wanted quickly without using anything but intuition (I didn’t even read the intro page). The Bdote map and website at large were the simplest. It is also focused on the smallest amount of space and the most specific population focus.
The maps all worked without glitches or limitations, I assumed because they’re all recent. Additionally, I’ve heard mention from more cynical academics that decoloniality is a trend right now and everyone is partaking. If this is true, whether, for equitable or exploitative reasons, this could be both the reason why they are all recent(ish) and work well: because the content is in high demand and would be of high exposure. The information included (and therefore needed) is dates, grid information, scale, author/sources/cartographers. For user experience, the maps all included zoom features, clear boundary indications, and symbols for location identification (eg. state acronyms, distance from selected items, and major cities in proximity marked). While I did not actively appreciate or recognize this feature, it could be helpful for those less familiar with United States geography and thus is evidence of a certain level of accessibility.
