Output from Analysis

GEOG370

Instructor: Christine Erlien

Overview

Maps as communication tools– Objective/purpose– Audience– Knowledge transfer

Choices & conventions Map Design & Constraints Types of Cartographic Output Types of Non-cartographic Output

Output

Final product of any analysis Should communicate effectively

– What did you do?– What do your results mean?

Types of output– Permanent or Ephemeral

• Permanent: Hardcopy (e.g., paper, Mylar)• Ephemeral: Stored, viewable files

Maps as Communication Tools Possibilities are many:

– GIS software readily available– Many GIS analysts; varied levels of

experience with cartographic production & design

So, must have mapping standards that these many cartographers aim for

Cartographic Output Objective: That viewers understand the

map’s meaning

In making a map, then, be aware of:– The map’s purpose/intended use– The audience

Cartographer’s aim: Create a product that allows knowledge transfer to the map user

Cartographic Output

Is there one correct map?– Monmonier (Mapping It Out) No

So what do you do?– Look carefully at your data– Experiment with different

representations/classifications– Weigh requirements of analysis & readers’

likely perceptions– Consider presenting multiple views of data

Thematic Map Design Involves a lot of decision-making:

– Scale– Projection– Symbology– Color– Organization

• Selection• Generalization• Placement

So, plan ahead! & Allow your plan to be guided by tradition

Cartographic ConventionsFonts Usually one is enough

– But if you use more than 1• Serif typically used for physical features (e.g., rivers,

lakes)• Sans-serif used for cultural features (names of countries,

cities, towns, streets, buildings). Why? Street names Sans-serif Oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, other

hydrographic features italicized serif – Idea of flow

Oceans & lakes all capitals Rivers capitals with lower case Legibility limit: 3 - 5 font

http://www.swgc.mun.ca/~cburden/2000/Cartographic%20Conventions.pdf

Cartographic ConventionsPoint Features Label up & to the right (unless If crowds other labels or

features) Should be parallel to the graticule Avoid overlapping

Linear features Label on top (to the north) of the line Rivers or streets curve the label if necessary but place the

label where the feature bends the least Roads are usually solid or dashed lines, railways are hatched,

and trails are often dotted lines. For rivers, thoughtful placement of the labels for the main flow

and tributary can make it clear which is the tributary – Example: Red Deer River flows into the Saskatchewan River

Red Deer River is all together but Saskatchewan is placed on the river before the Red Deer River meets it, and the word River comes after, making it clear that the Red Deer River is the tributary

http://www.swgc.mun.ca/~cburden/2000/Cartographic%20Conventions.pdf

Cartographic ConventionsPolygons Lettering for extensive land areas (e.g., Canada)

should be extended or stretched. As a rule, dot patterns are preferable to line patterns

– Why? Strong directional character makes line patterns disturbing

– Cross-hatched lines are OK • Easily distinguished from dot patterns• Available in a range of densities• Do not have the disturbing directional character of simple

parallel lines

If you're going to use many attributes in the legend, group symbology

Example: 3 sub-types of one type of soil get different shades of grey, while 3 sub-types of another type of soil get different intensities of crosshatching and the remaining types get dots

http://www.swgc.mun.ca/~cburden/2000/Cartographic%20Conventions.pdf

Cartographic ConventionsColor Colour (or hue) is typically used to differentiate categories (e.g.,

commercial versus residential land uses) while color intensity is assigned to numerical value (e.g., darker colours indicate higher numbers or densities)

Elevation dark green, light green, yellow, orange, red and brown for increasing elevations

Bathymetry (water depth) progressively darker blue indicates increasing depth

Levels of intensity are best perceived in red and least easily in yellow. Blue also works well.

Colors for particular features– Highways are red; less important roads are black; contour lines are

brown;– forests and vegetative cover are green; barren/snowcapped areas

are white; hydrological features like rivers,lakes and oceans are blue; the ground (i.e., figure background) is usually white, gray or blue (if an ocean is involved);

Cartographic Conventions North is typically at the top of the map Map elements (e.g., scale, north arrow) recessive

locations on the map– Minimize dead areas fill them up with map elements– Nonvital areas of the map figure itself can have map

elements placed on top of them Map symbology should mimic the real world

– Examples: Skull & crossbones to indicate site toxicity or danger; small triangle for a mountain summit

Overall, avoid homogeneity (e.g., the same lettering size for all labels, the same color for everything)– Logical use of contrasts is the essential tool for map

compositions that are attractive and easily understood Strive for a balanced composition of elements

http://www.swgc.mun.ca/~cburden/2000/Cartographic%20Conventions.pdf

Map Design Process Visualization

– Type of map– Features of interest– Basic layout– Symbology – colors, line weights, etc.– Classification – type, # of classes

Creating the map Testing

– Why? – How?

Influences on Map Design Controls

– Purpose

– Reality

– Data

– Conditions of use

– Technical limits

– Audience

Influences on Map Design

Purpose– Substantive objective: Nature of data &

breadth of purpose (reference or thematic map)

– Affective objective: How to convey the appropriate message

Reality– Complexity of the study area may place

constraints on name placement, symbol sizes/styles, shading patterns

Influences on Map Design Nature of data

– Abundance of classes people can separate only 8-10 shades of a color

• Grouping with color or pattern to differentiate groups

Scale– Decrease in scale decrease in detail

Conditions of use– Field use, lighting conditions

Technical limits– Color choice may be limited by printer’s

sophistication

Influences on Map Design Audience

– Experienced vs. inexperienced– Older vs. younger

• Text size• Color schemes

– Color blindness• Issues distinguishing red from green

– Avoid confusion by altering lightness & darkness of colors

– Skip over one of the offending colors use a scheme that goes red to blue and leaves out the greens

– Other successful color combinations: blues & yellows, magenta-violets & yellow-reds and blue, green, yellow sequences

http://www.personal.psu.edu/cab38/ColorBrewer/ColorBrewer.html

Types of Cartographic Output Reference maps Thematic maps

– Dot maps– Graduated symbol maps– Choropleth map– Isarithmic maps– Stepped statistical surfaces

Fishnet maps/wire-frame diagrams Cartograms Network maps Flow maps Flyovers

http://www.unl.edu/nac/conservation/atlas/Map_Html/Demographics/National/Minority_Operated_Farms/1997.htm

http://goliath.frostburg.edu/rpotts0/ProportionalCircleMapB.jpg

http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/355/links.html

http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~ordpics/115137At10TRFigA4.gif

http://personal.uncc.edu/lagaro/cwg/color/Choropleth-5Good.gif

http://www.ilstu.edu/~jrcarter/Geo204/Choro/

http://www.d.umn.edu/geog/cartfolder/HTML%20Pages/Isarithmic1.htm

Fishnet Map

http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Geophysics/4Dseismic/Reports/Jan20_2004/fig3.html

Cartograms

Non-traditional– Have the appearance of maps– Spatial arrangement modified by value of

variable being measured• Called “value by area” maps

– Can be contiguous or non-contiguous• Contiguous: Areas are touching• Non-contiguous: Areas are not touching

Cartogram

From B.D. Dent, Cartography (1996)

Network Map

http://virtualskies.arc.nasa.gov/research/tutorial/tutorial2b.html

Flow Map

From B.D. Dent, Cartography (1996)

Flyovers

Mapping on the Internet Distributed GIS

– Client: Map user– Server: Map/spatial data provider– Viewing, browsing, sharing– Query & analysis

ExamplesDurham Interactive MapsDurham Crime MapperThe Rome MapNational Atlas (http://nationalatlas.gov/)

allows you to download data

Noncartographic Output

Interactive output– 911 electronic response

– Routing deliveries• Map & text-based output

– Mapquest• Map & text-based output

– Automobile onboard navigation

Non-cartographic Output

Tables & charts– Importance of readability– Include if enhance mapped info

Digital photographs

Wrapping Up

Why is map design in GIS important? What kinds of decisions needs to be

made in designing and organizing maps?

What are some types of cartographic output? Non-cartographic output?– Give examples of situations in which or

datasets for which the various cartographic/non-cartographic types of output could be used

Responsibilities in mapping D. Wood. 2002. Mapping as a kind of talk: Brian

Harley and the confabulation of the inner and outer voice. Visual Communication 1(2): 139-161

– What’s the inner voice?

– What’s the outer voice?

– To which are we most

responsible?

Mapping as a kind of talk: Brian Harley and the confabulation of the inner and outer voice

So…ethics Ethics: Study of morals, and the moral choices to be

made by individuals. – Describes the rules/standards governing the conduct of

members of a society or a profession.

Ethics: Maps & Mapmakers– Maps are representations of the world. Mapmakers simply

present the relationships of the world. There is no ethical onus to representing what is . . To presenting truth.

OR– Maps are arguments presented in a two-dimensional plane,

conclusions based on data selected to advance a proposition. Mapmakers are as responsible as anyone in any media for the arguments they present.

Dr. Tom Koch, UBC, http://kochworks.com

Dr. Tom Koch, UBC, http://kochworks.com