GEOG 42105210 Cartography

1
GEOG 4210/5210 Cartography

• Spring 2007
• Week 1

2
Books/Software

• Cartography Thematic Map Design, by Borden D.
  Dent
• Computer programs Excel and ArcGIS
• Class Folder g/4210/
• Your personal folder G/YourName/4210/
• Now, write your name and folder name on one sheet
  of paper and turn in to me.

3
Grading Scale

• Homework/Quiz 50
• 3 Exams/Final 50
• Bonus Points varies
• Historical Grades from A to ..

4
Mapmaking and Cartography

• Mapping process of designing, compiling and
  producing maps.
• Cartography broader than mapmaking. Requiring
  the study of the philosophical and theoretical
  bases of the rules for mapmaking, including the
  study of map communication

5
GIS and Cartography

• Geographical information system is a
  computer-based system that processes geographical
  information.
• Still, GIS, to most people, is just a mapmaking
  tool for displaying maps, not consisting of the
  fundamental principles of cartography.
• More issues can be found in Chapter 6.

6
Kinds of Maps 1. General-reference maps

• Topo map from USGS
• City maps
• AAA map
• Mapquest.com

7
Thematic map

• Maps showing spatial distribution of one or more
  variables.
• Flow map
• Population density (in google, type in
  population density maps)
• (http//www.ncovr.heinz.cmu.edu/docs/Special_Proje
  ct/Atlas/Image_Pages/Images/percen41.gif)
• Crop production
• Rainfall
• Temperature

8
Cartogram
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Practice 1

• Find One general reference One Thematic map from
  internet.
• Save them (right-click on the images), or simply
  PrintScreen and pass onto Word doc.

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Components of the Thematic Map

• Base Map (geographic) provide locational
  information to which the thematic overlay can be
  related.
• Thematic Overlay simplicity and clarity are
  important design features.

11
Map Scale

• Large ? Map Scale
  ? Small
• Small ? Mapped earth area
  ? Large
• More ? Information detail
  ? Less
• Less generalized ? Symbolization ? More
  generalized
• What is large-scaled map? 110,000 or 11,000,000

12
Scale
13
Map Communication

• Is map communication dead?
• Visualization includes both an analysis/visual
  thinking component and a communication/presentatio
  n component and suggest that communication is a
  subcomponent of visualization MacEachren
• Difference between communication and
  visualization is communication deals with an
  optimal map and visualization doesnt have an
  optimum map and convey an unknown message
  Hearnshaw and Unwin
• Actually it is the difference bet/w deterministic
  and probabalistic thinking or linear and parallel
  processes. However, both visualization and
  communication emphasize the Map User
• Finding patterns and relationships among mapped
  data, not simply for the communication of ideas
  to others.

14
Transform unmapped data to maps cartographic
abstraction

• Selection geo space to be mapped, scale,
  projection, aspect, data variables. May involve
  working closely with the map author or client.
• Classification group similar objects to reduce
  the complexity and help organize the mapped
  information.
• Simplification such as smoothing lines
• Symbolization Replicate cars, trees, houses
  Abstract circles, triangles, squares..
• Replicative for tangible objects, such as
  tress, coastal lines, railroads, houses..
• Base map symbols are replicative,
  thematic-overlay symbols are either replicative
  or abstract.
• Distortion occur while scale is very small.

15
Codes of Ethics for the thematic cartographers

• Have a defining purpose or goal
• Know the map reader
• Dont lie with data
• Show all relevant data if possible
• Dont discard data just because you dont like it
• Accurately portray data in scale
• Avoid plagiarizing
• No biased interpretation using symbols
• Repeatable (maps)
• Attention should be given to differing cultural
  values and principles.