PLO 4. Employing Information Systems and Current Technologies to Address a Real-World Issue

Course: LIBR 515: Data Visualization

Artifact: Interactive dashboard, infographic, and project website on urbanization, invasive species, and native bird decline in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia

My role: Team member; contributed to the development of the visualization project through data preparation, tool-based design decisions, and the interpretation and communication of findings through the final report and project deliverables. Github: https://github.com/nemoming/LIBR515TeamProject

This artifact reflects my achievement in PLO 4: employing information systems and current technologies to address real-world situations, informed by social and cultural perspectives. Our project focused on biodiversity loss in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, especially the decline of native species such as the western bluebird under pressures from urbanization and invasive species. Rather than discussing this issue only in abstract terms, our team created an interactive dashboard, infographic, and web-based presentation to help users understand how population growth, habitat change, and invasive species are connected. The intended audience included community scientists who use birding platforms such as eBird, as well as members of the general public living in areas affected by biodiversity loss. That orientation toward a real environmental issue and a public-facing audience makes this artifact a strong fit for PLO 4.

A major strength of this project was the way it brought together multiple tools and systems in response to a complex information problem. We used eBird data alongside the Urban Indicator Database, then relied on Excel and Tableau Prep for cleaning and restructuring, Tableau for the interactive dashboard, Figma for infographic design, and a website builder to present the final components together. The report also documents the technical limits we encountered, especially when attempting to work with larger geospatial layers through QGIS, Mapbox, and Tableau. I found that part especially valuable because it showed me that applied information work is not just about choosing impressive tools. It is about understanding their constraints, adapting the design, and making decisions that balance technical feasibility, clarity, and usefulness.

This artifact also deepened my understanding of how technology should be shaped by audience and context. Our team deliberately used accessible language for a non-academic audience and paired the visualizations with concrete actions that could support biodiversity protection. The project was not only analytical but interpretive: it asked how visual systems can make ecological change more legible to the public and how information design can support awareness and action. For me, that was an important lesson. PLO 4 is not only about using technology competently; it is about using it responsibly and purposefully in situations that matter. I assess this artifact as strong evidence of my development in PLO 4 because it demonstrates my ability to work across data, tools, interface decisions, and public communication in order to address a real-world problem. At the same time, I would like to deepen my future work with more advanced geospatial tools and more formal user testing so that I can strengthen both technical robustness and public usability. Self-assessment rubric score

Overall score: 4.5/5

Connection to PLO: 5/5Clarity of role: 4/5Depth of reflection: 4.5/5Relevance to career direction: 4.5/5Readiness for professional application: 4.5/5

Short rationale for score:This artifact strongly demonstrates my ability to use contemporary information tools and visualization systems to address a public-facing, real-world issue. My role is meaningful and clear, though it should still be framed carefully because the project was collaborative.

Copyright and permissions note

This artifact was developed collaboratively as a course project in LIBR 515 by Sam Carter, Garland Joseph, and Mingzhe Xue. It is included in the portfolio for educational and reflective purposes with attribution to all contributors. Copyright in the group-created project content is shared among the student creators unless otherwise specified. Any third-party datasets, screenshots, platform interfaces, cited illustrations, or referenced materials remain the property of their original rights holders and should be used only in ways consistent with citation, educational fair dealing, dataset terms of use, or permission requirements.