Alright, so I wanted to make one of those cool NFL Imperialism Maps. You know, the ones where each team starts with the territory closest to them, and then they “conquer” other territories by winning games? I figured it’d be a fun project, and I could share the maps as the season went on.
Figuring Out the Basics
First, I needed to figure out how to even make the map. I’m no cartographer, so I knew I needed some help. I started poking around online, and it seemed like most people used some sort of mapping software or programming language. I’m not a programmer either, so I started to get worried.
Finding the Right Tools (and Data!)
After a bit more searching, I found some folks using Python, I am not good at Python, but I found a GitHub repository that is pretty good, all I need to do is change the parameters. Then I tried to install and run it step by step, it took quite a long time, and I didn’t know where I made the mistake, maybe there was some environmental problem, I have tried to use Anaconda, but it still does not work.
Adjusting and Tweaking
So, now I had a map, but it looked… kinda basic. I needed to figure out how to make it look more like the ones I’d seen online. I played around with the colors, making each team’s territory match their actual colors. That was actually pretty simple, just finding the right color codes online and plugging them in.
The Final (Well, Sort Of) Product
It’s not perfect, I still have much trouble with it, but it’s a start! I’ve got a basic map that shows each team’s starting territory, and I can update it each week based on who wins. It’s definitely a work in progress, but I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out so far. I can also use other’s data to generate my map, it’s more convenient.
