GIS/GPS Chapter 8

Designing maps

audience and purpose, understand audience to help communicate message, maps purpose is to be understood, size and scale and media which influence number of features and level of detail, media and visual balance, inset map, readable, adjusting layer transperancy

Information visually prominent

supports central theme of map and should be less visually prominent

Elements of map

data, projection, map creator/organization, date of publication, informative test about maps subject/purpose, graph and table and reports based on data, neatness, internal borders that categorize/rank map elements, images

Streaming map design with templates

contain fully designed layout with all standard map event with data frames and scale bards and north arrows and specific data, map template useful was organization produces many maps that all need to have a consistent look

Main map elements

map body, legend, title, scale, north arrow, south orientation

Map body

shows data you mapped, 1+ bodies

Effective maps

insert maps are 1 go to help readers locate features, add reference system to map, 3 type of referencing you can add in ArcMap

Graticule

intersecting lines that show location using geographic features (degrees of latitudes/longitudes)

Measure grid

intersecting lines that show location using projected (x, y) coordinated

Reference grid

grid of lines that divides a map into a specified number of rows and columns, row and column labels often identify locations listed in map index

Keys to making a map

organize layout, improve visual balance, adding graphic borders to distinguish other elements, text box to draw attention to explanatory text, images

Why should the visual balance be improved?

interpret and add graphic elements with border and images to layout