Introduction to Cartography (How to Make an Effective Map)

Bad map

can be worse than nothing at all

Foreground features

high saturation and low value (brighter and darker)

Good map

invaluable

Background Features

low saturation and high value (duller and lighter)

You can display spatial data as

single symbol, graduated color, unique symbol, graduated symbol,

Saturation

the amount or intensity of a color

Cartography

the art, science, and technology of making maps together with their study as scientific documents and works of art

Hue

the dimension of color that is determined by the wavelength of light; what we know as the color names blue, green, and so forth

General Reference Maps

-Contain a large amount of spatial information -Many different themes -Emphasis is on clearly displaying a large amount of data rather than telling a story or emphasizing a particular relationship -spatial dictionaries or encyclopedias Ex: road map, atlas

Map Design Process

-Thematic map production is an iterative process of •Framing the question the map is to address •Understanding the data •Choosing a display or analytical method •Examining the results •Reiterate if necessary

Why learn cartography?

A picture is worth a thousand words

Map Scale

Always include a scale bar •UNITS should be reasonable for scale of map •May also specify numeric scale (e.g., 1:24,000)

Effective Use of Color

Color is Powerful -use it wisely!•Use intuitive relationships with features Water Forests or Natural Vegetation Forest Age Class (Young, Mature, Old Growth) Bare Ground Roads Developed Areas •Some colors also have emotional impact Red Yellow Green

How to Choose Symbols?

If multiple symbols are used to display a theme, they should convey information about the features being displayed •Highways vs. county roads •High-order vs. low-order streams •Cities versus small towns

Using Labels

If you have lines, points, or polygons, you can use labels instead of legends.

North Arrow

Include when North is not intuitively obvious (here we will always include)

General Hints

Keep it simple! •Very important with thematic maps •General reference maps also become difficult to use if they are too cluttered Critically examine the maps you see •When you see a particularly effective or attractive map, ask yourself "Why?" •Adopt similar design features in your own maps Get classmates to critique your maps

The Legend

Large enough to read, but smaller than the map

Overlaying Multiple Themes

Lines and polygons? •Points and lines? These should reflect real-world relationships •Roads and rivers? •Power lines and roads?

Basic Components of an Effective Map

Map Legend North Arrow Source, Date, Author Info Scale Bar Descriptive Title

Cartographic Design Symbols

Shape, Size, and Texture can help you make a powerful map.

The Map

Should occupy most of the space in the layout

Value

The lightness or darkness of a color

Things to Keep In Mind when making a map

Who is the audience? What data are required? How will the map be displayed? What type of map do you need to make?

Descriptive Title

•Briefly describe geographic area (where)and spatial attributes (what)is being displayed •If features change over time -also include a date (when)or date range -In "stand-alone" maps, title should be near the top and have a larger font than other text •For maps referenced in a document, you can include title information in a smaller caption

Source Information

•Name of creator (and/or organization) •Date •In some cases, additional information, e.g., data sources, methods used to process the data, etc.

Thematic Maps

•Smaller amount of information than general reference maps •Information carefully selected to... -Tell a story -Emphasize a point -Illustrate spatial relationships Graphical equivalent of expository writing Ex: most maps in papers,