Ch 4: design and symbolization Flashcards
figure
the thing or place being mapped (e.g. the US)
ground
the figure is juxtaposed against the GROUND of the map or background (e.g. countries outside of US and oceans)
frame
maps often have a frame, a line drawn around the figure and ground, that acts as a picture frame does for a picture
visual hierarchy
design principle that takes these factors into consideration
A map with a good hierarchy emphasizes important information and figures by positioning them strategically on the map and by using visual variables appropriately
balance
After you satisfy the requirements of visual hierarchy, the next step is to make sure that your map looks balanced
If your map is too cluttered it will be difficult to see the information, so maintaining a sufficient amount of white space is helpful
symbolization
Used to describe how the features on a map are visualized
Before we continue, we need to consider a basic distinction between kinds of data, namely whether they are quantitative or qualitative
qualitative data
Qualitative data deal with descriptions of a real-world phenomenon that relate to the quality (which is where ‘qualitative’ comes from), or in other words, differences in kind or existence
quantitative data
Quantitative data are those that deal in measurements (or quantities, which gives us the term ‘quantitative’) that deal with differences in amount.
qualitative vs quantitative example
A qualitative map of cities would show whether a city exists or not in a given place, while a quantitative map would show the location of the city as well as some measurement, such as the number of people living there
A qualitative map of wildlife could indicate where different kinds of animals live, while a quantitative map would show the amounts of different animals
3 geometric features
point, line and polygon
points
used for discrete features (tree or store location)
lines
used to represent roads, telephone lines or other long, continuous features
areas or polygons
used to represent boundaries (counties or parks)
-can also be used to generalize data (concentration of many individual animals)
4 main visual variables
4 main visual variables that are commonly manipulated on maps are shape(qualitative), size(quantitative), hue(qualitative), and value(quantitative)
shape
Shape often indicate differences and have more specific representations
size
Size: large sizes often represent something of high value or importance, while small sizes represent low or less important values. Size is limited by the ability of the map audience to estimate the difference between sizes.
hue
Hue: associate certain colors with certain real-world things and usually red used to signify importance while calming colors such as blue or grey signify something of less intensity
value
Value: refers to the lightness or darkness of a hue, can demonstrate relative importance or amount on a continuous scale
transitory maps
Display query, and analyze geo info
graticule
network of lines of latitude and longitude lines that relate true information
cartography
study and practice of making and using maps
2 types of maps and 2 categories
types: reference and thematic
categories: transitory and formal
transitory maps
map-like visualization that display, query and analyze geographic information with an ability to pan, zoom and access underlying values
formal maps
reference or communications product that is produced using well-established cartographic conventions that are often (but not always) paper maps
