Marshall Kirchner's UWF GIS Blog

The final module of Communicating GIS course involved using proportional symbols and bivariate choropleth on maps to represent different types of data. I find that these map types are excellent at showing common trends and symbolizing data in a unique way. This lab began with using proportional symbols to represent different Indian cities' populations. As recommended in the lab instructions, I opted to use a darker background for the country of India, and a light, bright colored symbol for the cities. This symbol was pink and had a high level of saturation. I opted to use a yellow outline for the city symbols, as this helped them contrast even further with the dark blue background. For the size, I chose a minimum of 5 points and maximum of 40, as I found this combination reduced many points of overlap while still representing the data appropriately. For my legend, I used the nested circle legend design. This allowed for me to show the proportional symbols, while saving space and al...

 The focus of this week's laboratory assignment was on numeric, tabular data. Luckily, ArcGIS Pro and Microsoft Excel are excellent in data visualization which allows for informed analysis of important topics. This week, I was tasked with determining two a relationship between two variables from the County Health Data posted by the University of Wisconsin. I selected a more obscure relationship with a profound correlation. The selected variables were the Food Environment Index and impoverished children. The Food Environment Index was determined for each county in the United States, and consists of a ranking 0-10, with 0 being the wort in terms of access to health foods and 10 being the best. The impoverished children statistic was normalized for each county and represented as a percentage of the total number of children in the county. These statistics were then used to create meaningful graphs and maps that outline their unique correlation.  I chose to utilize Microsoft Excel ...

While easily overlooked, color choices and data classification schemes are instrumental in constructing accurate and appropriate maps. This laboratory assignment highlighted how color selections impact a map's overall legibility and message to the viewer. Adjusting colors to meet the needs of an array of audiences, such as those who are visually impaired or even color blind is also very important to take into account when creating a map. Throughout this post I will highlight the different color ramps and maps that I created during this fourth lab in Communications in GIS. I began the assignment by manually creating two color ramps - linear and adjusted. These ramps were constructed using various RGB values within the ArcGIS Pro 'Color Properties' option. I used different formulas and patterns to determine what RGB values to use, such as using a 33% increase in the interval between the darkest and next darkest and 33% less interval between the lightest and next lightest for ...

This week's laboratory assignment was based on terrain and elevation data, and how to best display and communicate it using the tools and capabilities within ArcGIS Pro. From contours, to hillside, to 3D modeling, there are a variety of ways in which one may display varying topography. I often referenced the two readings assigned this week throughout this lab assignment, as the authors provided excellent insight on the types of visualization I would be working with.  Firstly, I was tasked with creating and labeling contour lines on a DEM located in Jackson County, Oregon. I enjoyed creating the contours and labels to make sense to the viewer. Using the mask tool was instrumental in allowing the elevations to be placed within the contour line and not having them cover any of the lines, rather them be placed inside the lines. For my final map layout, I chose to utilize natural elevation symbology (greens to reds) and I adjusted the labels so that they would be visible in this zoomed-...

Utilizing the correct coordinate systems and projections is a crucial skill in creating accurate maps that reduce deformities and portray the globe's true properties. This laboratory assignment involved creating a variety of maps, selecting the best coordinate systems / projections, and analyzing the impacts of deformities on a map due to projections. I chose to assess the state of Vermont as my area of interest. The coordinate system I chose to implement for Vermont was NAD 1983 (2011) StatePlane Vermont FIPS 4400, because this system proved to be the most accurate and resulted in the least distortion for the map area. The other options available were less appropriate because State Planes are the most accurate, compared to UTM and other projections, as they are tailored to their specific states. Since the state of Vermont only lies in one state plane, this meant that it was appropriate to use the State Plane projection. I was tasked with altering projections on a world map and ass...

This week's laboratory assignment emphasized the use of map design and typography to communicate messages and trends to map viewers. I particularly enjoyed this assignment, as I believe a map is useless if it is not communicating a clear message. The lecture for this week covered the five cartographic design principles: visual contrast, legibility, figure-ground organization, hierarchal organization, and balance. These principles are instrumental in creating effective maps. I will further assess how the maps I created this week satisfy these principles. The first part of this assignment was creating a tourist map for the city of Austin. This map was to emphasize elements of the area that tourists should be aware of, excluding live music. I utilized appropriate symbology to communicate the important map elements appropriately.  I chose to symbolize the Travis County layer with a black outline and light beige fill. This allowed for the other features to stand out. I symbolized the ro...