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,