Intro to GIS: Week 3 – GIS Cartography

     The focus of this week’s lab exercise is cartographic design. I prepared three maps highlighting various aspects of Mexico. The maps show population density, transportation routes/waterways, and topography, respectively. Some of the skills I learned were how to add an extent indicator to an inset map, advanced labeling strategies, creating a new shape file, and choosing an appropriate symbology scheme for raster data. Below you will find a brief description of the content and design of the maps produced in the lab. Overall, I found it fun to display different types of information for the same country. And, all of this practice with color and typography is helping to further fine tune my map making toolkit.     

This map depicts the population density of Mexico.
Population is separated into six classes. 

Map 1 - Population Density of Mexico:

     This map displays the population density of Mexico by state. Population is broken down into six classes. I chose a color ramp in which the lighter hues correspond to the least populated states while the darkest hues represent the more densely populated states. I chose a pale grey for the countries surrounding Mexico to draw the eye towards this country and away from the others. A pale blue for the ocean also aids in creating a proper figure-ground relationship. Essential map elements are all included and do not overlap or crowd one another.

This is a map of central Mexico that displays urban regions
(population > 1,000,000), railroads, federal highways,
and primary/major waterways. An inset map with
an extent indicator is included for orientation. 

Map 2:

     The next map highlights some of central Mexico’s urban regions, roads, waterways, and railroads. Urban areas are defined as those regions that are inhabited by a million people or more. Roads are specifically federal highways while the waterways displayed are primary and major rivers. A network of railway is also displayed. I chose beige to represent Mexico as it is subtle enough to allow the other map features to be easily discerned and not overpowered. The state boundaries are defined by a pale grey so that they too are present but do not overburden the map viewer with additional visual information. Again, essential elements are present. An inset map is included to direct the viewer to the where in the world the map feature is located.

The map shows the topography of Mexico using a raster data set
with a stretched symbology color scheme. 

Map 3:

     The final map of this lab exercise is a topographic map of Mexico. It is a raster dataset unlike the previous maps. I chose a color ramp that was easy on the eyes. I also thought that using a lighter color for midlevel elevations allowed the map reader to quickly discern higher and lower elevations. I then chose a complementary color to represent the countries bordering Mexico to ensure that they would not clash with the visually complex raster data. Essential map elements are present and an inset map is included for orientation.