Cartography Expectations Goals Methods

Expectations Professional Quality Maps  Something you would proudly submit at a job in the real world  Visually appealing  Factually correct  Avoid careless errors (e.g. scale bar that indicates the U.S. To be 2 miles across)‏

Goals Draw Attention  Visually appealing  Interesting to look at Communicate Information  Easy to understand  Effective use of symbols, labels, text, etc. to get your point across

Where to Start Think about  Who is your audience? (Primary vs. Secondary?)‏  What information do you want to convey Prioritize Balance between appearance and information  What is your medium Paper (size?)‏ Powerpoint Poster

Elements of a Map Spatial Data Title Scale Bar North Arrow Labels Symbols Legend Text Grid Lines Pictures Projection & Datum Credits Regional Map(s)‏

Every Element has a Purpose Think about every element you include on a map  Why did you choose this symbol to represent campsites?  Why do the river labels look the way they do? Answer should always be: to make the map look better and/or to communicate information more effectively

Things to Consider Color Size  Of map elements  Of map on page Placement  Position  Orientation Fonts Units  Must make sense  Should be intuitive Style  Scale bars Number of divisions  North Arrows