1. A Map of The Geological Hazards of California
By Chris Henningfeld

2. Project Goals Create an easily understandable, aesthetically
pleasing map of the geological hazards of
California.
Focus on the cartography process .
Secondary focus on symbology.
Utilize ArcGIS online for relevant data for my map.
Strive to meet “National Geographic Standard”
with the final map.

3. Process The first thing I did was begin looking at other maps
made by professionals. This helped me to get ideas
for the layout and design.
Second, I browsed around ArcGIS Online to see what
I could find that was relevant to my project. As it turns
out, ArcGIS online was basically the Mother Lode of
data for my project. Every layer of my final map with the
exception of the base map came from ArcGIS Online.
Third, I began to put my map together using the data
I was able to find on ArcGIS Online. The main tasks
were to clip any extraneous data, refine the
map symbology, and piece together a nice,
professional looking map.

4. Problems I Ran Into Half of the data I got from ArcGIS Online covered
too large of an area on the map when the layer was
imported (i.e. extended beyond the borders of CA).
Clipping said data proved to be a bit tedious, but
not too bad.
Getting the transparency of each individual
layer just right (maybe more OCD on my end
than an actual problem).
Layer names not appearing properly in the legend.

6. This map influenced
the layout of my map.
I was particularly drawn
to the color scheme, as
well as the layout of the
legend, and title, scale
bar, north arrow, etc.

7. What I Learned ArcGIS Online is excellent.
Browsing maps made by professionals is a great way
to get ideas about layout and design.
There are multiple ways to clip something.
Attention to detail is a critical part of the
cartography process.