Principles of Cartography

Relevant Links

Please log off the computer before leaving the lab

INTRODUCTION TO THEMATIC MAPPING

Differences between thematic maps and reference maps.

Even though thematic maps are highly generalized, a sense of scale is still important.
A thematic map contains geographic information serving as a base map and thematic data related to those locations.

The thematic data can be categorized as qualitative or quantitative.

Cartographic Generalization: selection, classification, simplification, symbolization.

Model the mapping process.

Compilation process and purpose
Ethics in cartography (adapted from Dent's "Thematic Mapping") 1. Always have a straightforward agenda, and have a defining purpose or goal for each map. 2. Do not intentionally lie with data. 3. Data should not be discarded simply because they are contrary to a position held by those creating a map. 4. Strive for an accurate portrayal of the data. 5. Avoid plagiarizing; report all data sources. 6. Symbolization should not be selected to bias the interpretation of the map.

NYC flood risk Maine Coast - Penobscot Bay with smaller scale inset
PROCESSING GEOGRAPHIC DATA

Data Classification
Reduce complextity and detail to allow for more effective communication.
Make patterns in the data (e.g. clustering or linearity) stand out.
Group like data together and substitute a representative symbol

Number of Classes and Class Breaks

Nominal; Ordinal; Interval Ratio Scales of Measurement
Nominal (Qualitative); Ordinal and Interval/Ratio (Quantitative)

Summary Statistics and Measures of Central Tendency
Mode (Nominal scale data) shows the greatest frequency.
Median (Ordinal data) value in the middle of an array (values in ascending or descending order).
Mean (Interval/Ratio data) is calculated by adding all of the values and dividing by the number of values.

Ratio (shows relationship between variables). Example: population density (number of people per square mile).
Proportion (ratio of the number of "units" in a class to the total). Example: Number of Foreign born residents in a city out of the total population.
45,398 foreign born divided by 125,000 total population = 0.36
Percent (a proportion multiplied by 100). Example: 0.36 x 100 = 36% foreign born population in Paterson in 1910 (easier to understand).

Middlesex Crime Data (source: NJ State Police)

Hurricane Frances

Global Malaria

Heart Disease

Intro to Illustrator excercise
Mertz Farm map for practicing with Illustrator tools. Click on the link to download, and then open this file. Lock layer 1. Create a new layer and name it "farm polygon". Use the pen tool to draw the farm as a polygon. Color (fill) the polygon white. Make the stroke a 0.5 point line. Create a new layer and name it "background". Draw a rectangle that is a little larger than the farm polygon. Fill it with a light gray. Drag the background layer below the farm layer. Create a new layer and name it "misc". Reproduce the text, scale bar, and north arrow. Hand in a printout. North arrow examples To make a simple North arrow using Illustrator, draw a line, then FILTER>SYLIZE>ADD ARROWHEAD, then add "N". Park Expansion Online Illustrator help

For critique: Blood Supply Graph
MAPPING AREALLY AGGREGATED DATA
Appropriateness of the Data: 1. Discrete data that occurs in defined enumeration units; 2. Derived values (ratios or proportions).

Data Classification: 1. Determine class intervals (constant or variable intervals); 2. Determine number of classes.
Note: The same data will be portrayed differently on a map as a result of the classification scheme that is used.

Area Symbols: 1. Value (lighter less, darker more); 2. Consider patterns for nominal areal data.

Legend Design: 1. Easy to read; 2. Symbols in legend and on map match exactly; 3. class ranges only include data being mapped.

TYPES: 1. Choropleth 2. Dasymetric
Lethal Injections (nominal data) Methodists (raw data)
Where NJ natives live
Puerto Rico Population Change
NJ median family income: black&white
Median House value black&white | color Housing Cost Data Plant Hardiness Zones Fall foliage dasymetric
Anthrax dasymetric
Anthrax choropleth
No smoking programs
Pension shortfalls
Hurricane Ivan

PROJECT 1

THEMATIC MAP ELEMENTS
map, neatline, title, scale bar, legend, source statement, ID group

USE SPACE EFFECTIVELY/MAXIMIZE SCALE OF MAP IN AVAILABLE SPACE

How do you decide if north should be at the top of the map?
Rotating map to fit column
Churches 1750
Lobsters

ILLUSTRATOR DESKTOP - PALETTES
Window>Type>Character

PREFERENCES allows you to adjust settings for Illustrator
Make sure Preferences>Units are set to inches before creating pie charts in Illustrator

Paterson 1910 gif

Paterson 1910 Illustrator file (right click link, save link as)

Paterson 1920 jpg

Paterson 1872 jpg

MAPPING POINT PHENOMENA
Appropriateness of the Data: 1. Discrete data that occurs at specific locations (related to scale).
Churches in Hawaii (nominal data)
Dot Maps are very effective for portraying spatial density.
1. Dot value (one or many) Dr. Snow's cholera map
2. Dot size (coalescence) US harvest 1949
3. Dot placement (center of gravity principle; consider related variables).
Locating the dots from http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/curricula/cctp/units/unit47/html/dotmap.html

Proportional Symbol Maps use graduated quantitative point symbols. Where the oil is
Different map symbols can be used effectively on the same map, but be aware of symbol overload.
Urban Population (dots and proportional circles)
West Nile This Season
Life in L.A. (award winning multi-variate design)
Chernoff Faces from http://www.bradandkathy.com/software/faces.html#chernoff
Face expression researcher at Rutgers

Is this a proportional symbol map? Known oil reserves

Dot Map Toyota Ad
Job creation by Toyota
MAP PROJECTIONS
GLOBES - pros and cons FLAT MAPS - pros and cons
Latitude is based on physical features (axis of rotation, poles, equator).
Longitude is a measure of east or west from the Prime Meridian (0°).
Round Earth, Flat Map,From National Geographic
Grid systems create geographic addresses.
Head distorted by projection selection
Alaska or Brazil, which is larger?
USGS projection poster. The arc of a great circle shows the shortest distance between points on the surface of the Earth Facing East On a Mercator projection, any straight line is a rhumb line (line of constant direction). Projection focusing on the oceans Marine Minerals focusing on the oceans, but maintaining familiar land shapes.
Polar projection creates a "different" impression of distances
Dot map reqires equal area projection
SELECTING AN APPROPRIATE PROJECTION DURING COMPILATION

Projecting geographic information from a spherical surface to a flat surface causes the information to be deformed in various ways.
The Geographer's Craft Three "families" of map projections based on developable surfaces.
Developable surfaces (cone, cyllinder, plane) each result in distinctive pattern of deformation.
Standard line(s) and centering control distortion in the area of main interest on a map.
By choosing how the map is centered, the standard lines, and deciding on what quality to maintain (e.g. conformality or equivalence) a cartographer can make the "distortion" caused by projecting geographic information serve the purpose of a map.
Paul Anderson's pointers for picking a map projection. His gallery of projections. Select a projection with characteristics that suit the purpose of your map (National Geographic). Globe Mercator Conic Azimuthal Peters Summary
PROPAGANDA/PERSUASION Taiwan squashed like a bug <http://members.tripod.com/~Bektar/maps.html> JPEG from webpage China and Taiwan
JB Krygier lecture
Hark Hark the dogs do bark <http://victoriansatwar.net/archives/maps_2.html> JPEG from webpage
Nazi Propaganda US Civil War Importance of proofing Peters Projection vs. Mercator Projection RESOURCES ON OTHER WEBSITES Picture Gallery of projections ACSM Matching the Map Projection to the Need Wolfram Research map projections 3D Software map Projections Robinson Projection download (shapefile; pdf; jpeg) AFRICA PROJECT
Africa physical features map (including sources of rivers) Africa elevation map Political map of Africa from the UN (clearly shows lakes) Simple Political Map of Africa West Central Africa West Africa Routes of Explorers Nile Basin Description of Nile Basin Ancient Africa map (too generalized to use for your project) Abstract Examples AFRICA BASE MAP (Illustrator CS2) for first digital version from MAP RESOURCES Critique: Africa Fresh Water
TYPOGRAPHY Functions of map lettering (naming; extent; orientation; hierarchy) Components of type (baseline; ascenders; descenders; serif or sans serif;)
The elements of type (font; size; weight; roman or italic; capitals or lowercase; letterspacing; word spacing; line spacing (leading); Design Goals (legibility; contrast) Design dos and don'ts
AukeAukeIslandAukeCreekAukMountainAukeCove London Underground map Critique: Colorado Ski Resort map Links to websites with information on Type (for general reference only).
Important Difference Between Cartography and Book Typography
Making maps easy to read
What is unicode?
Type topics on the Adobe site
Esperfonto intro to using type in design
fonts.com
Critique: California 1990 Percentage Hispanic Population
ISOLINES
Appropriateness of the Data: Three-dimensional volume that is continuous in nature.
Isolines can be used to represent many kinds of quantitative geographic data (e.g. temperature or population density).
Isoline map schematic. 2D quantitative line symbols representing of a 3D real or statistical continuous surface.
Pattern of Isolines provides information on shape of 3D surface (magnitude, spacing, orientation).
Contour interpretation
Contour patterns
Relationship between land surface and contours
Drawing isolines Isoline is placed between control points of known or assumed magnitudes (z values).
Interpolation is used when placing isolines on the map, and when isoline maps are read.
Datum is the zero point from which z values are measured from.

Design:
Black contour lines (like the lat/long grid) are strong visual elements.
Make contour labels easy for map viewer to read (break line and orient in an orderly fashion).
Contour interval note helps reader interpret isoline maps (especially if each isoline is nor labeled). Travel Times
Isoline gentrification map Problem with 50 foot contour interval
Project 3 Google maps
How to download and scale a topo quad Example of a state index and a topographic map quad scan Maine topo quad index Camden, Me topo
Double click your state's index in 355 class folder to view it Source for downloading a State's Index for topo maps Below are links to sites with scans of USGS topographic quads:
Download topo quad(s). Then reduce quad until one inch equals 4000 feet. Topoquest
Libre Map Project on the Internet Archive Libre Map Project Acme Mapper (Google mashup with USGS topo quad overlays) Use this site to explore topographic symboliztion around the area of your project

Topographic map symbol examples USGS topographic map symbols <pdf>
All the symbols for large scale maps (pdf) National Park Service website symbols, patterns, and maps To load patterns into Illustrator (Window>Swatch Library>Other library...>navigate to file and select it) NPS symbols (AI file, also in 355 folder)
Description of NPS symbols (pdf) Integration & Application Network (IAN) symbol collections (or go to 355 folder and open ian symbol folder) Online Nautical Chart viewer Some symbols from nautical charts
Alphanumeric grid example (your page size project will not have guidelines extending across the map) ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS / IMPACTS / REMEDIATION

Marsh restoration project
Example of symbolization in the water
Heritage Area and Heritage Trail Cultural Resource Inventory HISTORICAL WEB SITES SOUTH HAMPTON example of a topo quad reduced to 1" = 4000' (AI file in 355 folder) The Map Realm fictional road maps Worst Case Scenario (changing names to serve a thematic purpose) || Trenton Geologic map symbolization (PostScript Implementation)
Weather symbols
Cave map symbols
Examples of shoreline maps from previous years. The assignment has varied, so these are only meant as a source of ideas. Michael Aaron Janet Mark Mike Tucker Paul Patricia Ken Monalisa Elizabeth Phillip
PORTRAYING THE LAND SURFACE FORM
Why is being able to portray the land surface form so important to various human activities? African Hills of yore Connecticut PERSPECTIVE Landscape view 16th century (oblique view)
Aeroview of New Brunswick
NYC satellite image (bird's eye view) Profile view
COMPONENTS OF THE LAND SURFACE FORM (elevation, slope, shape) VIEWING ANGLE FOR OBLIQUE PERSPECTIVES Simple computer drawn 3D surface METRICAL/NON-METRICAL METHODS Costa Rica (hachures) NJ hachure caterpillars Hachures around Mt. Elbrus Hill Shading Contours and Hill Shading Block Diagram
From contour map to Landscape Profile Oblique Regional View physiographic Diagram || Erwin Raisz
African Physiographic Diagram by A.K. Lobeck
Eduard Imhof

Relief model (class project)

Heinrich Caesar Berann's panoramas
National Park perspective views
Historic Alaska exploration software recreations; JPEG from website

Relief: Article about depicting a surface on a map
Bump map

GLOBE The Global Land One-km Base Elevation Project

National Atlas of the United States

SOURCES OF DATA & BASE MAPS

Accuracy and Reliability of your data source(s).

What is the best source of data and reference maps to use when creating thematic maps?
1. Books
2. The internet
3. Government agencies (e.g. Census Bureau)

Original purpose of the census

Strengths and limitations of census data:

Nation-wide, freely available, comrehensive socio-economic data
How effective is the collection system?

Privacy Issues: nature of questions; data is aggregated; laws protect privacy

Internship of Japanese Americans during WWII Census Bureau research paper NY Times article

Changes to census questions and enumeration units through time and the impact this has on mapping census data

Census Bureau Census surveys Census FAQs

Enumeration areas: Census vs. Political (established by law)
Census Geography

How does the size of the enumeration unit affect patterns in the data?

NJ Census Profile (which is the most and least densely populated county?)
Population
Ethnicity (color) | Ethnicity (black & white)

U.S Census Information

About the Census

FEMA <http://www.fema.gov/>

Forbes flood insurance article <http://www.forbes.com/business/services/2005/09/07/katrina-flood-insurance-cz_ms_0907beltway.html>
"The problem is that 75% of U.S. flood hazard maps are outdated, "which greatly limits their value in reducing flood losses to lives and property," Michael Bullock, of Intermap Federal Services, told a Congressional committee in July. For example, the flood maps for much of Spartanburg County in South Carolina date back to 1984. In Cobb County, Georgia, FEMA uses maps from 1992--since then, the number of housing units there has grown from 190,000 to 256,000, meaning there's less undeveloped land area to absorb runoff and more area that could flood."

Home flood insurance article
"It's very difficult to look at insurance rate maps and make a determination if something is in the flood plain," said Curt Sumner,
executive director of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. "Everybody knows these insurance rate maps are
difficult to read and not very accurate."

Yet they are the only maps that surveyors or lenders are required to use in determining if property is in a flood plain.
The FEMA maps identify properties in a 100-year flood plain, that is, with a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year.
Cities and counties use the maps to help regulate development. The maps are based on engineers' hydrological studies.

Due to rapid development, which causes flood plains to grow, most of the maps now in use are outdated, state and local officials concede,
and are being updated throughout Georgia.
CARTOGRAMS and FLOWLINES
"Value by area cartograms are important. Our socioeconomic overview of the world will be more realistic if we think of the relative importance of its parts in the proportions of a population cartogram rather than in the proportions of a map." - Erwin Raisz

from Thematic Cartography by Judith Tyner:
1. Cartograms have strong visual impact.
2. There is no loss of detail through generalization of data into categories.
3. Cartograms permit the representation of distributions that might be obscured by variation in enumeration sizes if mapped by
conventional means, and because there is little unnecessary detail, they may be more clear representations of some distributions.
Characteristic of the data: Quantitative area data
AREA CARTOGRAMS
Value by area cartograms (contiguous and non-contiguous)
State of the World Atlas 2008 U.S. Presidential election Cartogram Central <http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/projects/Cartogram_Central/> Dorling Cartogram | from Cartogram Central <http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/projects/Cartogram_Central/cartogram_examples/dorling3.jpg>
LINE CARTOGRAMS
Linear cartogram
London Underground map Critique: Colorado Ski Resort map
FLOWLINES
Natural Gas flowline U.S. Foreign-Born Population flowline map Napoleon's defeat flowline (explanatory text)
African Slave Trade <http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/assessment/intro-maps.faces>

The Advantages of Cartograms. Slide show by Dan Dorling ABSTRACT Cartograms are a well-known technique for showing geography-related statistical information, such as population demographics and epidemiological data. The basic idea is to distort a map by resizing its regions according to a statistical parameter, but in a way that keeps the map recognizable. In this paper, we deal with the problem of making continuous cartograms that strictly retain the topology of the input mesh. We compare two algorithms that solve the continuous cartogram problem. The first one uses an iterative relocation of vertices based on scanlines. This algorithm explicitly accounts for induced shape error. The second one is based on the Gridfit technique, which uses pixel-based distortion based on a quadtree-like data structure. The basic idea is to insert pixels, the number of which corresponds to a statistical parameter, into the data structure and distort the pixels such that every pixel obtains a unique, nonoverlapping position. Relocation of vertices of the map are positioned using the same distortion. We discuss the results obtained from both methods, compare their shape and area trade-offs as well as their efficiency, and show results from different applications.

MAP DESIGN
Map Aesthetics and design quotes from Dent's "Cartography, Thematic Map Design":

"The quality of a map is also in part an aesthetic matter. Maps should have harmony within themselves
An ugly map, with crude colors, careless line work, and disagreeable, poorly arranged lettering may be
intrinsically as accurate as a beautiful map, but it is less likely to inspire confidence." John K. Wright

"The 'art' of cartography...is not simply an anachronism surviving from some prescientific era;
it is an integral part of the cartographic process." John S. Keates

"Three elements have been identified as forming the basis for the evaluation of map aesthetics: harmony, composition, and clarity." Aart J. Karssen
Harmony is viewed as the relationship between different map elements (i.e. how do the elements look together?).
Composition deals with the arrangement of the elements and the emphasis places on them (visual hierarchy).
Clarity deals with the ease of recognition of the map's elements by the map user

Contrast leads to perceptual differentiation, the ability of the eye to discern differences.
Contrast is fundamental in developing figure/ground relationships and a visual hierarchy.
Design Elements Figure Ground relationships POINT SYMBOLS: Pictorial, Abstract (e.g. geometric) AREA SYMBOLS Chart Junk State Plan Title/Legend faults
MashomackPreserve
COLOR Convention, Association, Personal preference How does color affect map design and map aesthetics? VD in NC Seismic Risks Domestic Slave Trade, 1808-1865 Rotating map to fit column Churches 1750 Lobsters Lack of contrast Miskito Coast Printing Centers
Mental Maps
NYC created by Maira Kalman and Rick Meyerowitz Cartographic Curiosities

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