1.1 Introduction to Maps

reference maps

gen. info, navigation, location. can be political, physical, or road maps.

thematic maps

comm info about a place, what is it like there? can be choropleth, dot-density, graduated/proportional symbol, cartogram, or isoline/topographic map.

political map

states, countries, capitals

physical map

natural features—mountains

road map

highways, streets, etc

choropleth map

uses various or a shade of a color, or patterns to show a location and distribution of spatial data.

dot-density

each dot represents a specified quantity of a spatial characteristic.

graduated/proportional symbol

uses symbols of different sizes to indicate different amounts of a variable.

cartogram

the size of countries are shown according to a specific variable. area is distorted to show a variable.

isoline/toppgraphical

uses lines that connect points of equal value to depict variations in the data across space, used for weather and elevation.