Final Project

For this Final Project, we were to create two high quality maps to the best of our ability. Over the semester the class discussed several mapping techniques that could be used for these final maps, such as choropleth mapping, dot mapping, isarithmic mapping, and proportional symbol mapping. The first map I Created was a Qualitative map, where different hues are used to represent different qualities of the data. This map satisfies the portrait orientation and the inset map requirements. For the second map, a bivariate mapping technique was used, where two different techniques are shown. This bivariate map is basically a standardized choropleth map (satisfying the classified requirement) with a graduated symbol map on top of it.

Map 1. Qualitative map


Map 2. Bivariate Map

Map of the Week

This map is of the Ahtanum State Forest in Washinton State. It shows the various trails, elevations, and possible destinations in the area. This map was found on the website for the All Wheelers Off Road Club.

Lab 6

Part A


This is a dot map showing the Hispanic population in each county of Idaho. Each dot represents 30 people and highly populated areas are easily determined. Data for this map came from the U.S. Census Bureau for the year 2000.

Part B1


This is a map of the capital cities in the world with a population greater than 750,000, where graduated circles are used for symbolization. The different color values for each symbol were used to help distinguish each circle. Data for this map came from ESRI.

Part B2

This is a bivariate map of people in the Buffalo area that are 65 years old or older. The choropleth map shows the percentage of elderly in each census tract. The proportional map shows the number of elderly in each tract. Data for this map came from SUNY-Buffalo.

Map of the Week

This is a map showing the Calista Region in the Yukon-Kuskoquim River Delta. It is the area where most Yup'ik Eskimo people call home. Within the region are 56 village corporations and the map shows their name and location. This river delta is a relatively flat marshy plain crisscrossed with many waterways and temperatures there range between -80F and 80F.

Lab 5

Part 1

This map shows the annual precipitation in Idaho, based on values from weather stations scattered throughout the state. The Inverse Distance Weighting Method was used to create the values that cover the state and the contour option in the spatial analyst toolbar was used to create the contour lines. For the interpolation, the optimal power value was calculated and 15 neighbors were used. Using this color scheme made the most sense to me for representing precipitation. To make the contour line numbers stand out a bit better, a small halo was added to them and they were then shifted to make them easier to read. To explain more about the contour lines, text was added to the map for clarification.

Part 2

This map shows the annual precipitation in Idaho, based on values from weather stations scattered throughout the state. The Ordinary Kriging Method was used to create the values that cover the state and the contour option in the spatial analyst toolbar was used to create the contour lines. For this interpolation, the best RMS value was found be of the Exponential model using 10 neighbors and a calculated lag with 12 lags. Using this color scheme made the most sense to me for representing precipitation. To make the contour line numbers stand out a bit better, a small halo was added to them and they were then shifted to make them easier to read. To explain more about the contour lines, text was added to the map for clarification.

Geog 390 Class Website

http://geovisualization.blogspot.com/

Map of the Week

On Saturday February 27, 2010, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit near Maule, Chile. This is a map of the estimated tsunami wave heights at various hours after the quake struck.

Lab 3 Map

Classification Maps

Before :


After :

This map uses 2000 census data to look at the number of households owned by American Indians or Alaska Natives and uses four different classification methods (natural breaks, equal interval, quantiles, and optimal) to look at the data. In the revised map, all of the numbers were changed from ratios to percentages and a title and subtitle were added to each legend to tell the audience what the numbers meant and what classification method was used. Boundary lines around the state were deleted and a neatline was placed around the whole page. The map title was moved to the top of the page and placed all on one line and a map subtitle was added to give a little more explanation. A boundary line was placed around both title and subtitle to make them stand out a bit more. Information about the map’s creation was added to the projection and data source information.

Lab 2 Map

Freehand Map

Before :

After :

This map shows many things found in Boulder County, Colorado. A few of the major roads and rivers are shown and labeled. Populated areas, part of a national park, and part of a wilderness area are also labeled. Only a few changes were made to the original map. The extra lines on the page were removed and the area of interest (just the county) was focused on. All of the wilderness area was colored in and labeled. Since the label for Lafayette crossed a road, an inline was added to it to make it stand out; all other community/town labels were then inlined to keep things uniform. Additional information about the map data was added.

Lab 1 Maps

Qualitative Map
Before :

After :

This map shows the 2000 census tracts for the Buffalo area and displays the dominant race for each tract. In the second map, I aligned the north arrow, legend, and scale bar and added the coordinate system information. The legend title was deleted as I didn’t think it was necessary. I also changed the colors in the second to more saturated colors so that the map doesn’t appear dull.


Quantitative Map
Before :

After :

This map shows the 2000 census tracts for the Buffalo area and displays the percent of the population in each tract that is between the ages of 5 and 17, or school age children. In the revised map, I used more saturated colors and darker boundary lines. I lined up the north arrow, legend and scale bar and added the coordinate system information. The legend title was deleted and a legend subtitle, stating the classification method, was added.


Nez Perce Map
Before :

After :

This map shows how the lands of the Nez Perce tribe have shrunk over the years, beginning with their original land, then the land appointed them in 1855 and 1863. It also shows where all lands owned by Nez Perce in 2006 are. I only made a few revisions to this map. First, I deleted the legend title and moved the legend to center it more in the white space. Around all of the major town labels and the reservation line dates, I added a halo to make them more visible. I also moved to labels around to better positions. The north arrow was moved to give the legend more space.


Generalization Map
Before :

After :

The purpose of this map is to show the differences between 2 generalization methods. The first method is ‘Simplify Line’, a tool used in ArcGIS 9.3. The second method is from a website called MapShaper, where I chose the Douglas-Peucker algorithm to generalize the data. Only a small section of the original map was chosen to show how the two differ from the original. In the revised map, I marked out where the example section was in the original data. Scale bars were added for all the views and a north arrow was placed on the map. A legend was added since the river lines in each example were different colors. A subtitle was added to try to make the purpose of the map clearer. Information about the map, such as date of creation and where the data came from, was added.

The Beginning

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

- Puck