Reese's GIS Expedition

     This week, in the sixth Computer Cartography lab, was about Isarithmic Mapping.       In this module we learned about Isarithmic Mapping and Flow mapping. Although the later was not used in this week’s map, we focused more on Isarithmic instead. With it, we expanded even more on what we had previously been doing with previous maps. This time learning how to use continuous tone and hypsometric tint. Both of these symbolization points were perfect for using them on precipitation and that was what we did in lab.      The map below is an Isarithmic map of Washington state using a mix of continuous tones and hypsometric tint. In this map I made sure that everything was clear to see, and the description of the map was concise as can be. Overall, this was one of the simpler maps made for this class and feel it came out well.       The map was made in ArcGIS, and the data was provided by UWF for educational purposes. In ...

     This week, in the fifth Computer Cartography lab, was about Choropleth Mapping.       In this module we learned more about choropleth mapping and proportional symbology. These mapping methods give us more variety when mapping larger country and county areas as well as symbology that is tied to the locations. In this lab we used them to effectively map the population density of Europe as well as wine consumption per country.       The map below you can see a choropleth map of Europe. In this map I produced I used graduated symbology instead of proportional symbology. The reason for this is in part that the proportional symbology was harder to read than graduated. So, it felt like the best way to complete the map.       The map was made in ArcGIS, and the data was provided by UWF. In the map we first made sure to first make a choropleth map by taking the shapefile we were given and changing its symbology to gr...

     This week, in the forth Computer Cartography lab, was about Data Classification.       In this module we used data classifications to differentiate our data. This involved using Equal Interval, Natural breaks, Quantile, and Standard Deviation classifications. With these classifications we are able to see the class distribution change with each map as well as learn what each one does. Equal Interval: groups data into equal grouped ranges that are uniform, however this provides errors due to masking clusters.  Natural breaks: groups data into natural groups where the data looks to have similarities in their clusters. Quantile: groups data similar to equal interval but equally distributes data into their category tracts, however this also conceals the data's true nature.  Standard Deviation: groups data on the deviation from the mean point of all of the data, this provides more errors if not normalized and also reads a bit harder.  ...

     This week, in the third Computer Cartography lab, was about Cartographic Design.       In this module, we honed in more on the how to make the layout of the map look pleasing. This involved using Gestalt Principles, Visual Hierarchy, Contrast, Figure-ground, and Balance to make the map read a lot better. With these map design elements, we strove to make a well-informed map from the Washington D.C. area, specifically ward 7.      In the map below, I honed in to make sure there was enough contrast between elements as well as good use of figure-ground, visual hierarchy, and balance. With contrast, this was in the points for elementary through high school growing in size and going from a light color to a dark color. With figure-ground, I made sure ward 7 was lighter color and darkened the surroundings. This goes well with visual hierarchy as ward 7 is emphasized by figure-ground and remains the focus. While with balance, it was making s...

     This week, in the second Computer Cartography lab, was about map topography.       For this module we learned about topography, where in the lab and map, labeled landforms and features on a map. As you can see below the map contains names next to their features and has appropriate symbology. Some of these are customizations made by me, but I was successful in labeling everything appropriately. The focus of the lab was to make a discernable map of Florida with a few major cities, the capital, two of the biggest swamps, and a few rivers labeled. This was all done in ArcGIS with instructions which helped in fine tuning the use of the label feature. One of the things I learned was to use the 'if then' SQL coding to get all the major cities I needed labeled. I also used some previous ArcGIS knowledge to make the map a bit cleaner.       Next, I want to go over the few customizations I did to my map below. One of the first customizat...