Map of the Week

The USGS Maps show how many earthquakes and of what magnitude are happening every day!
Source: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/

ArcMap: Comparison of Classification Schemes, Rural Counties of Idaho

In order to improve this map I added a monochromatic color scheme of blues to show the variations. I believe if printed in black and white it would still show a good amount of gray variation but it is a lot more attractive in color. Keeping the single color scheme for all four maps is important to be able to compare the classification schemes. I also added my name and the date the map was revised.

Comparison of Simplification Methods

For this map I added the state boundaries for context in the locator map. I refined the line weights to match the “Zoom In “ map. I selected another part of the map to highlight and I refined the scale bars used in each map. I retitled the legend to be more accurate to the content. I put the original river line before simplification behind the others for comparison purposes. I liked this exercise for seeing the effects of simplification. I think the “Zoom In” map on the first map actually shows the differences better but I thought it was too exaggerated, too far zoomed in.

ArcMap: Shrinkage of Nez Perce Lands

This map tells an important story within the History of the U.S., within Idaho and within our region. The illustration of the reduction in land area of the Nez Perce people while tragic is also a testament to the living strength of a people who have survived and adjusted to these and many other changes.

The main change for this map is using a color that highlights the remaining Nez Perce Lands. I zoomed in slightly more on the focus area and removed the rivers to simplify the map. The rivers also tell part of the story however, showing how the Nez Perce people have been separated from the aboriginal waters that provided food source and transportation. I kept the surrounding states to show how large of an area was originally the aboriginal territory.

ArcMap: City of Buffalo, race by block

These maps illustrate dominant race by block. Both examples are qualitative and use a three color scheme. The original map had the same color background (light blue) as the “Children by Block” map and so that could be confusing as well as the fact that the two colors of blue are too close in value. On the new map I used a sand color that distinguishes it from the children’s map and also provides better contras from the blue content color of the map. The new map shows a section of blocks as “Other” which the original map did not have. I improved the scale and the legend title and was also able to zoom in just a bit more. This map also has a “Lake Erie” label.

ArcMap: City of Buffalo, percent of children by block

To improve this map, I increased the size of the map body and lightened the background. I renamed the legend, moved the scale bar and added a label for Lake Erie. The map could be improved with additional context information in each direction but some information on the map would have to be lost to accommodate surrounding areas.

Macromedia Freehand Comparison

The original map was set up with a cool 'neat line' but was too small. I also thought a locator map might help those unfamiliar with the State of Colorado.

I revised this map of Boulder County to illustrate a slightly better hierarchy of information, especially with the towns being highlighted. This helps solve the problem of words overlapping lines however, it creates a barrier for seeing what lies beneath the labels. To solve that problem, I reduced the font size. One difficulty with this is that by making the text “INLINE,” you can’t tell when you have it highlighted. Maybe Macromedia will fix this on a subsequent version. Speaking of font size reduction, I reduced the size of the font on some of the other geographic features such as rivers and highways.

Iris Mayes GEOG 390: GIS

As my finale to a M.S. in Bioregional Planning and Community Design, I am enrolled in Geography 390, Geographic Visualization. We are making maps mostly using ArcMap!