ArcGIS in Cartography

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ArcGIS in Cartography

• Week 5 October 3, 2008

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Goals

• Different methods for representing data
• Data View and Layout View
• Symbology
• Labeling
• Map Layout Tricks
• Data Frames
• Dynamic Links eye dropper tool
• Printing and Exporting Options

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Questions to ask

• Who is your intended audience?
• What is the message or story you are portraying?
  Determine the purpose
• Is the data available? Data Collection
• What is the final product? Map Construction
• 8.5 x 11 publication
• ANSI E printed map publication
• Black and white verses color

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Communication Objectives

• Emphasizing key information
• De-emphasize other information
• Creating Visual Balance
• Inappropriate use of design principals can
• misrepresent your data
• turn the audiences focus elsewhere

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Types of Maps

• Area - Choropleth
• Provide general information about spatial
  patterns
• data are shaded to represent different magnitudes
  of a variable i.e. land use patterns
• Lines - Isopleth
• continuous lines joining points of the same 
  value i.e. contour lines, temperature,
  barometric pressure
• Points
• Proportional Symbol
• Scaling symbols in proportion to the magnitude of
  the data occurring at point locations i.e.
  number of cancer incidences based on certain
  location
• Dot Mapping
• data is represented at location as points

Picture from Thematic Cartography and
Visualization, Terry A. Slocum
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Color and Label Representation

• Choosing your colors for realism
• Color association - Develop a standard set of
  symbols that help the viewer quickly gather
  information about what the map is portraying.
• red - danger, a stop action ex. A contaminated
  well
• brown agriculture green - forests / parkland
  blue - water or possibly green depending on
  water quality
• Land use and zoning APA Standards
• Label Representation
• Park symbol - park bench
• School symbols
• Hospital symbols
• Maps for the Color Blind

Picture from Thematic Cartography and
Visualization, Terry A. Slocum
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Creating the Map Layout

• Page setup
• Remember the purpose
• Will the map be viewed up close or at a distance?
• Small scale or large scale
• What is the best page size?
• Landscape or portrait?
• Add layers
• Additional data frames Locator map
• Inserting other important map elements
• pictures, charts, tables

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Map Element Characteristics

• Geographic Map
• Map Border
• Map Title
• Additional Data Frames - Locator Map
• Legend
• Preparing the legend labels in Data View
• Showing Transparency in the legend
• Modifying the appearance of a legend
• Source or reference information, projection,
  author
• Scale Bar
• Date
• North Arrow
• Logo (optional)
• Grids View Data Frame Properties (optional)

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Templates
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Symbols and symbol styles

• 12,000 symbols
• Styles
• Industry Specific
• Civic
• Transportation
• Environmental
• Geology
• Create your own

Referenced from ESRI presentation Cartography
and ArcGIS
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Changing layer symbol properties

• Table of Contents or the Symbology Tab

Referenced from ESRI presentation Cartography
and ArcGIS
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Setting layer symbology

• Same symbol for all features
• Based on attribute values
• Saving symbology to a layer (.lyr) file

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Polygon symbology
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Properties of a point symbol
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Line symbology
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Labeling Options
Labeling method
Labeling field
Label appearance
Label styles
Label visibility
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Legend Properties

• Preparing the legend labels in Layout View
• Showing transparency in the legend
• Modifying the appearance of a legend

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Legend Properties cont.
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Printing Options
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Exporting Options

• Exporting Options
• PowerPoint
• Adobe Illustrator
• Email transfer
• Setting your dpi

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Resources

• Maps for the Color Blind
• Vizcheck - http//www.vischeck.com/vischeck/
• ColorBrewer web site
• http//www.personal.psu.edu/cab38/ColorBrewer/Colo
  rBrewer_intro.html
• Designing Better Maps A Guide for GIS Users
• http//www.amazon.co.uk/Designing-Better-Maps-Guid
  e-Users/dp/1589480899