Cartography, Designing a good map

The second module for Computer Cartography expounds upon some of the lessons learned from the first module. These include a refresher of the essential map elements (map title, scale bar, north arrow [orientation], data source information, etc.) from Introduction to GIS (GIS 4043), and general typography principles in cartography ranging from type placement, variation dependent upon features and appropriate type size.

The concept of map clutter from module 1 was again stressed, and the underlining lesson I gained from module 2 is to keep things focused and not add unnecessary details or features. This can be hard for a cartographer, as we often have a tendency to want to use available white space and are picky about what to omit. More on that later.

Supplemental reading for the module provided quite a lot of insight when it comes to map layout and design. The textbook Cartography reaffirmed a lot of what I had learned working for map companies when it came to cartographic design. Specifically text placement, hierarchy of importance and the use of halos and masks for text resonated with me.

Delving further into the textbook, there were several principles that I had not considered so concretely before. When attempting to show the difference in labeling for features ordinally (differences between value or rank), a general guideline is that the optimal difference in height (type size) of the associated features is approximately 25%. Furthermore, avoiding a type size difference of 15% of less should be avoided.

Cartography also references that keeping the same font type for all essential map elements is ideal. It also reiterated from lecture that you should not use the word "Map" in the map title. It furthermore states that a legend should not be titled with the word "Legend" or "Key", as this conveys the obvious. Throughout the maps I have produced for class, I never included "Legend" as the legend title, so I've been on the right track.

The "Type Colour" section in Cartography included a map principle I had not considered before. While text in a legend usually is decorated with black type, an option to introduce color in the type can be useful in providing a connection with the feature itself.

The map to be produced for this week's lab assignment is pretty basic, showing the state of Florida with select majors cities and major rivers. The objective was to place three kinds of text: labels, Annotation and Layout text. Labeling and Layout text were commonly used in previous classes. Annotation however was introduced.

Annotation is a layer where labels are converted to graphic features. They display separately from the features in which they are associated, and can be edited, stylized and repositioned independently of the label class that generated them.

I am not stranger to working with Annotation layers, having previously both output maps for print and web sites using the feature. However, it has been quite some time since I regularly worked with Annotation layers, so my skillset needed a refresher.

Following numerous revisions as I continued to read the textbook, the finalized map:

But all that white space! As a cartographer there were times where I was tempted to add a point for Orlando. I also sought to instill a transportation theme, and had actually colored coded the counties by Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) districts by adding a column to the counties attribute table. There were other map additions that I nearly started, but then rereading the lab instructions and focusing on the British Cartographic Society's Design Group principle "Concept before compilation," where "Think about what the map needs to contain, how it should look, and who is going to read it," I thought better of it. Furthermore we were to make three customizations to the map, not make additions!

Cartography, the Good and the Bad

Advancing to our second week of Computer Cartography, the first module requires us to think about how we look at and interpret a map. Our task was to select for critical analysis and evaluation, both a map that we consider well designed, and another that is poorly designed.

What a task that was, as there have been several over the years that fit both contexts. Trying to recall any that stood out proved to be challenging, because as the saying goes "out of sight, out of mind." Fortunately I have a growing repository of map documents that I use for researching page creation and updates for AARoads. Sifting through the various folders, I found two that fit the criteria.

The well designed map selected is the most recent Overview Map of the ongoing PA Turnpike/I-95 Interchange Project in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Within lecture, we were introduced to the map design principles of the British Cartographic Society's Design Group. One that stood out for me is "Simplicity from Sacrifice" where great design tends toward simplicity or more simply "less is more."

The PA Turnpike/I-95 project map colorizes only the affected roads within the project area. Having a full color map of the entire area is not necessary in this context, so reducing the detail and keeping the design focused solely on the subject is appropriate for this type of map. The map audience can clearly view the project and the simple color scheme conveys what is currently under construction, and what to expect in the future.

Many of the maps I have been tasked with creating or updating were all-inclusive. Street atlases for Mapsource, Wall Maps for Universal Map Group, products that included an array of points of interest, every public road, detailed hydrology features, etc. Designing a map with less correlated to producing an incomplete product or omitting features out of laziness. This philosophy was engrained into my cartographic style and I did not question it until this module...

The second principle of the British Cartographic Society's Design Group discussed in lecture is "Hierarchy with Harmony." The concept is to emphasize what is important on a map, to reduce the less important and remove the unimportant. The PA Turnpike/I-95 project map conveys only the necessary information, with a substantial amount of street level detail reduced in prominence. Not all roads were deemphasized to the same level, as intersecting highways to the project area were made to stand out somewhat against the rest of the area.

So less is more works out well in this context. Viewers do not need to see unaffected roads and areas with the same level of detail or colors as the map's primary focus. Yet keeping some of the detail in the background still conveys the population density of the area, showing that the project will have impacts to the nearby communities.

This Salt Lake City Community Councils and Neighborhoods Map immediately stood out as a poorly designed map candidate. It nearly looks like raw, unstylized GIS data, yet some effort was placed in the layout and output to consider it fit for use by the public.

The first map design principle of the British Cartographic Society's Design Group is "Concept before compilation." This stresses that it is important to understand the concept of your map entirely. What does the map need to contain, how should it look, who is the intended audience and what will they want or get from the map?

I originally downloaded this map of Salt Lake City to learn what were the neighborhoods in the city and what were their general boundaries. The map conveys this, but not in an efficient or appealing manor. The amount of black linework from the street rights of way overwhelms the map, making it hard to parse neighborhoods from community council districts. The background results in just noise, and without any emphasis on major streets or legible street names, another map has to be consulted to formally locate a neighborhood within the street grid.

The thick neighborhood polygons dominate the feel of this map. Lost within their bounds is the small red italicized text referencing the neighborhood names. The way it is presented, the neighborhoods and community councils appear synonymous with one another, but that is not apparent until analyzing an area of the map with less detail. Clearly this map does not adhere to the Hierachy with Harmony map design principle.

It is arguable what may be more important in this Salt Lake City map, neighborhood boundaries or community council areas? Without any descriptive text somewhere on the map telling the audience what the community councils are, or what is their purpose, their significance is unclear. Is the label size appropriate for those councils? This map conveys that they are important, yet the boundaries of the neighborhoods hold just as much weight in their line thickness. So the hierarchy is not readily known for the end map user, another poor design aspect of this map.

Another topic stressed in this week's module are map elements (title, legend north arrow, scale bar, etc.) and more specifically the placement of them. Utilizing areas of white space for elements is one thing, but also leaving room for them in the map layout is another. All the while balancing map elements with the overall composition of the map is important. An aesthetically pleasing layout goes a long way.

Computer Cartography, the next step on the GIS Road to Fruition

When I saw that Computer Cartography was my next class in the UWF GIS Certificate Program, I got pretty excited. Cartography has been an interest of mine going well back to childhood. When my siblings got a sketch pad to draw art, mine instead was used to draw maps. This passion stayed with me into high school and then college, where I would often doodle a small map in the margin of my notes. When I took  AutoCAD at Delaware Technical & Community College, one of my first drawings was a fictional road map. You get the idea!

I first learned of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in 1997, and with some encouragement, enrolled in the University of Delaware's GIS class (GEOG 372) when I transferred to UD from DelTech that Fall semester. The following Spring semester, I took Advanced Geographic Information Systems (GEOG 472), where we used both ArcMap and ArcInfo in lab. I posted two examples of our GIS work from back then on a previous blog post. My professor Tracy DeLiberty encouraged me to further pursue GIS, but my career aspirations at the time were meteorology, and I eventually transferred to the University of South Alabama (USA) to pursue that and did not work with GIS again until 2006.

I landed my first job in mapping at Mapsource, Inc. out of St. Petersburg, Florida, where I eventually was promoted to Assistant Chief Cartographer. The boss/owner was Gene Ingle, an old school cartographer who originally worked in the newspaper industry. I learned quite a lot from Gene, and one of the things he instilled in me were standards in cartography.

My coworker's station at Mapsource

Gene had an ironclad set of rules for the creation of our maps, which were all based in AutoCAD. Having this rule set took out some of the guesswork on how or where to place map elements, text orientation along features, acceptable abbreviations, what font type to use, appropriate text sizes, etc. To this day, I still incorporate many of these principles.

Sadly, I learned of Gene Ingle's passing in 2018. He was 76 when I worked for him.

My career in cartography continued beyond Mapsource with a job as a map researcher for Universal Map Group out of DeLand, Florida. There I was tasked with updating existing map products with the use of GIS (ArcMap). I created Geodatabases with a variety of map updates from changes or additions to streets, city limits, points of interests and parks among other map elements.

My station at Universal Map

First learned of the University of West Florida's GIS Certificate program back when I started working for Geographic Information Systems Cartography & Publishing Services (GISCAP) as a mapping specialist. Last year when I was considering my future career goals, I had an epiphany and recalled the UWF GIS program.

Having been removed from regularly working with GIS for several years, I sought to both renew my skillset and also broaden it. As I've seen through my wife's GIS work with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), there is a lot more to GIS than just the creation of maps. Thus far the Introduction to GIS class and Remote Sensing and Photo Interpretation class have shown me just that.

Our first assignment for Computer Cartography was to create a StoryMap. I have some familiarity with the concept of StoryMaps thanks to my wife, but prior to this past week, I had never attempted to create one myself.

Creating the StoryMap is very similar to compiling a blog post with a content management system (CMS) such as Wordpress. There are widgets, style options, several ways to embed media, and of course multiple map tour options. For my first first StoryMap, I opted to create a short photo tour of the Interstate Highway System using photos I shot and posted on AARoads.com as the media. It can be viewed at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/863cdd9091cc4d2d830d5ff4b7d520bb

Going forward, I am hoping to land a position as a GIS Analyst, ideally in something transportation related. Working with others and being part of a team are things I've missed with running a business solo for so long. I've received a lot of encouragement from folks I know at FDOT, and perhaps I can join them on a professional level in the future.

Celebrating my 50th State at Tok, Alaska!

Besides taking GIS classes, I enjoy traveling, working out at the gym, riding coasters at theme parks, playing video games and binging Anime with my wife.