CARTOGRAPHY AND VISUALIZATION I

Lesson 1

By Mwaura Joshua | @openmapsCo on Twitter

Course outline

  • Fundamentals: Definitions, use and care of drawing equipment, drawing media and inks. Map scales, map text. Hand lettering, line styles, use of stencils.
  • Visualization in GIS: Introduction, cartographic communication concepts. Map design. Generalization: classification, simplification, exaggeration, and symbolization.
  • Recent developments: hardware, software, Geospatial techniques.

Course outline

  • Static mapping: Choropleth, chorochromatic, mapping using graphs and diagrams, displaying discrete and continuous data; dot matrix. 3-D visualization.
  • Interactive mapping: Electronic atlases; concept, data used, implementation.
  • Multimedia systems: Application of text, sound, video.
  • Cartographic animation: Non-temporal, temporal animation. Vehicular navigation. Overview of expert systems in cartography.

Lesson 1: Fundamentals

Fundamentals | Drawing Tools

Desktop tools:

  • GeoDa - mapping
  • Tableau - mapping
  • ArcGIS or QGIS - mapping
  • Photoshop or GIMP - editing raster raster
  • Illustrator or Inkscape - editing vectore
  • Adobe acrobat and PDF - viewing

Fundamentals | Drawing Tools

Web tools:

  • Tableau - Interactive web design
  • Leaflet APIs
  • Google maps APIs
  • Openlayers APIs
  • ...

Fundamentals | Definitions

  • Scale refers to how map units relate to real-world units
  • Map projections refers to transforming spatial coordinates on a three-dimensional sphere to a two-dimensional plane
  • Coordinates refers to a set of two or more numbers that specifies a location in relation to some reference system
  • Resolution describes the specificity of the data
  • Interoperability describes how well two different datasets work with each other

Desktop tools | GIMP

  • GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a free and open-source raster graphics editor
    • Capabilities: image retouching and editing, free-form drawing, resizing, cropping, photo-montages, converting between different image formats, and more specialized tasks
  • GIMP is cross-platform; linux, OS X, & windows
  • Development status: Active, API is a set of callable libraries. Written in C, GTK+
  • Website

Desktop tools | Inkscape

  • Free and open source software vector graphics editor
    • Capabilities: Import & conversion for many vector formats, e.g. ESRI shape files, object creation & manipulation, fill and stroke, operations on paths, Text support, Rendering
  • Inkscape is cross-platform; OS X, linux, & windows
  • Written from C into C++; adopted the GTK+toolkit C++ bindings; redesigned its user interface, & added a number of new features
  • Website

Desktop tools | GeoDa

  • Free software that conducts spatial data analysis, geovisualization, spatial autocorrelation & spatial modeling
  • GeoDa is cross-platform; windows, X OS, & linux
  • Developed by the Spatial Analysis Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the direction of Luc Anselin
  • Website

Desktop tools | Tableau

  • Tableau produces interactive data visualization products focused on business intelligence
  • Tableau has a mapping functionality, and is able to plot latitude and longitude coordinates and connect to spatial files like Esri Shapefiles, KML, and GeoJSON to display custom geography
  • There are five ways to access their tableau products:
    1. Desktop (both professional and personal editions)
    2. Server
    3. Online
    4. Reader & Public - free to use
  • Website

Desktop tools | ArcGIS

  • ArcGIS is a geographic information system (GIS)
    • Capabilities: create maps, compile geographic data, analyze mapped information, share & discover geographic information
  • ArcGIS includes the following Windows desktop software:
    1. ArcReader, which allows one to view and query maps created with the other ArcGIS products
    2. ArcGIS for Desktop, which is licensed under three functionality levels:
      1. Basic, which allows one to view spatial data, create layered maps, and perform basic spatial analysis;
      2. Standard, includes more advanced tools for manipulation of shapefiles and geodatabases;
      3. Advanced, which includes capabilities for data manipulation, editing, and analysis.
  • Also server-based ArcGIS products, as well as ArcGIS products for PDAs
  • Extensions are available to increase ArcGIS functionality

Desktop tools | QGIS

  • QGIS (Quantum GIS) is a FOSS cross-platform geographic information system (GIS) that supports viewing, editing, and analysis of geospatial data
  • QGIS integrates with other open-source GIS packages, PostGIS, GRASS GIS, & MapServer
  • Plugins available in Python or C++ to extend QGIS's capabilities
  • Gary Sherman began Quantum GIS development in 2002, then since 2007 developed under Open Source Geospatial Foundation
  • Website

Web Tools

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Web tools | Leaflet

  • Leaflet is an open source JavaScript library used to build web applications
  • First release, 2011, supports most mobile & desktop platforms, HTML5 & CSS3
  • Integrates;
    1. tiled base maps hosted on a public server
    2. optional tiled overlays
  • Add feature data from GeoJSON files, style it & create interactive layers, such as markers with popups
  • Developed by Vladimir Agafonkin, before he joined Mapbox in 2013
  • Website

Recent Developments | Geospatial techniques

  • D3.js (Data-Driven Documents) is a JavaScript library for producing dynamic, interactive data visualizations in web browsers
  • Makes use of SVG, HTML5, & CSS standards
  • Development from 2011
  • D3.js uses;
    1. create interactive graphics for online news websites,
    2. create information dashboards for viewing data,
    3. produce maps from GIS map making data
  • The exportability of SVG enables graphics created by D3 to be used in print publications
  • Website

Bottom line...

  • Use GIS or other mapping software to create map form, layout and to handle data
  • Pass result to editing tools e.g. Inkscape & GIMP
  • Good maps is a results of;
    • knowledge
    • skill
    • experience
    • creativity
    • aesthetics
    • understanding human vision

Think about this...

  • Using web and other mapping tools, almost any idiot can create a map
  • It takes knowledge and skill to create a good map
  • It takes experience, skill, creativity and hard work to create a great map
  • Fortunately, maps can be sequentially improved
  • Good design follows known principles & cartographic methods
  • Usually employs user centered design

Fundamentals | Map scale

  • Map scale measures how much the features of the world are reduced to fit on a map;
  • Map scale representations;
    1. Representative fraction map scale is shown as a ratio. e.g. 1:24,000
    2. Graphic/Bar scale graphical representations of distance on a map
    3. Verbal description Example, “one inch represents one kilometer“ written on a map to give map users an idea of the scale of the map

Fundamentals | Map text

  • Label placing is difficult, even with the automation within the GIS
  • Thankfully, placing text on a layout such as titles, text boxes, & disclaimers is much easier
  • Simple rules to follow;
    1. Ensure that all text is aligned with the surrounding elements
    2. Do not use justified text in poster layouts
    3. Double-space body text on larger layouts. More space between text & text lines enhances legibility
    4. Group text elements Use the landscaper’s Law of Three. (3 of any plant looks better than 2 or 4)
    5. Always consider the text direction

--- End of Lesson 1---

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That’s it!

Queries about this Lesson, please send them to: jmwaura.uni@gmail.com

***References***

  • Mapping, Society, and Technology, Steven Manson
  • Web Cartography, Map Design for Interactive and Mobile Devices, Ian Muehlenhaus
  • Web Cartography, Menno-Jan Kraak and Allan Brown, ITC
  • Cartography, Thematic Map Design, Borden D. Dent
  • GIS Cartography, A Guide to Effective Map Design, Gretchen N. Peterson
  • Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization, Terry A. Slocum et.al
Courtesy of reveal.js