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Elements of Map Composition
ORHow to make a decent map!
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Steps to Creating a Map
• Define the Purpose of the map– Audience?– How will map be used?
• Restatement into a design problem• Visualization to Creation• Design solution - arrangement of map’s
image elements to facilitate communication– Sort of an outline
• Graphic design
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The Well Designed Map…
• Has a single purpose!• Size and scale determine the level of detail
• You cannot simply blow up a map from 8.5-11 to something that would hang on the wall.
• A small map size will limit detail• A large map viewed from a distance has same problem
• Reader can easily interpret features• Reader can instantaneously understand its
message (or not, if that is the purpose).
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For example
If you were trying to make the case that you should be able to limit the publics use of your lake which map would you use?
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Elements of a thematic map
• Title• Legend• Scale• Credits• Mapped and unmapped areas• Graticule• Borders and neatlines• Symbols• Place names and labels
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30000 0 30000 60000 Meters
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LEWIS COUNTYNEW YORK
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Rivers
%[ Sub Station
US Highway
State Highway
This map to be used to evaluate sites for future paper plant which has to be near a substation and a highway.
LAGIS, esf
Title
Legend
Scale Credits
Unmapped Area
Mapped Area
Gradicule
Border
Neatline
Purpose, metadata
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30000 0 30000 60000 Meters
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EW
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LEWIS COUNTYNEW YORK
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440000
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460000
480000
480000
500000
500000
4820000 4820000
4840000 4840000
4860000 4860000
4880000 4880000
Rivers
%[ Sub Station
US Highway
State Highway
This map to be used to evaluate sites for future paper plant which has to be near a substation and a highway.
LAGIS, esf
No Placenames
ArcView Export screw up in 8.3!
Only went to 3000 m in Layout!
Too Much White Space!
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The elements one-by-one
• Title– Draws attention by virtue of its size (big!)– focuses attention on primary purpose of
content of map– not always needed
• Legend– Principle reference to symbology– MUST be there
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The elements one-by-one
• Scale– A MUST!– Types
• graphic -- the bar• verbal -- 1” = 1 mile (watch this one)• a ratio 1/24,000 (this one too)
– Because of ubiquitous nature of Xerox machines the graphic scale is a must, the others are optional
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The elements one-by-one
• Credits– another, older, term for metadata– Some metadata can be placed on
map• Data source• Statement of accuracy, both spatial and
attribute• Date data collected, date map made• Your name, assignment # etc…
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The elements one-by-one• Mapped and unmapped areas
– Objects, land, water, and other geographical features important to the purpose of the map
– makes the composition a map rather than a diagram– The most prominent map element
• Graticule & Grids– Graticule – geographic coordinates– Often omitted
• useful if location info is important and there are no features like roads or steams
• Or if you need to fill space with something
– Grid - feature at B3
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The elements one-by-one
• Borders and neatlines– Borders serve to restrain eye
movement and focus attention on the map. A Border surrounds all the elements of a map.
– Neatlines are:• finer than borders• drawn inside borders• mainly decoration
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Borders or Not
• You can use solid fills to define map area
Location of St, Louis
Legend
-adf asdf
adfafffdsf
Location of St, Louis
Legend
-adf asdf
adfafffdsf
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The elements one-by-one• Symbology
– can be actual symbols (style of city point) and/or colors and patterns
– most important part of map -- if user does not know what the symbolization is the map is useless
– Designer has little control over placement (location should be as accurate as possible given scale) but can control size and color
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The elements one-by-one
• Place names and labels– Primary means of communicating to
user– Orients user on map (similar to
Graticule)– Can provide important info re map
purpose
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Composition• You have all the data • You have the symbolization plan• Now you have to visualize the map
– A creative process– Trial and error process
• Where to put borders, neatlines• What style of borders, neatlines• Where does the legend go?• The title• And so on
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Composition
• Purpose of composition– Forces designer or organize the visual
material– Stresses the purpose of the map– Directs the users attention– Develops an aesthetic approach for
the map
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Composition: Planar Organization
• Balance – visual impact of arrangement
• is the map “heavy” at top, bottom, sides???
Geometriccenter
Visual center:5% height aboveGeometric centerArrange content
around this point
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Visual weight• depends on location
– obj weight increases with distance from center
– obj at top are heavier than those at bottom– obj on right are heavier than those on left
• depends on size (Duh!)• depends on color, interest, and isolation
– Red>Blue, Bright>dark
– complex > simple– isolated > groups
• For Example …
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Which is better balanced?
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More Visual Balance
Artist Engineer
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Unequal divisions of space more interesting than equal divisions
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Focus
Field
Movement of reader’s eye - upper left to lower right
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Using Eye Movement Eye goes left to right
Generally you want the reader to see the map BEFORE seeing the legend – can’t
always do#
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St. Louis too far from visual center, balance not bad, however
Better, but a little heavy on right
Balance with legend etc.
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Location of St, Louis
Legend
-adf asdf
adfafffdsf
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Location of St, Louis
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Size / white space problems
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Size / white space problems
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Text
• Use mixture of upper and lower case• ALL UPPER CASE IS HARDER TO
READ• Use sans serif text
•No fancy fonts• Big print for important stuff• Little print for not so important stuff
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Using Color
• Color is tricky• There are definite color preferences• There are definite color combination
preferences• There are standard color codes (like
for planning)• The map should NOT be garish!
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So
• Creating maps is a creating a document for a specific purpose -- to communicate something to the reader
• It is an iterative process• There are some basic rules or guides
that can be used – described above an in the on-line course module.
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Summary of Guidelines1) Map layout – where are the pieces going
to go – major pieces – visual center – eye path – uneven juxtaposition of parts
a) The map area and what’s in itb) Legend placement (usually to right of mapc) Scale bar, North Arrowd) Balancee) White space
2) Map Title – Large – not always needed
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Summary of Guidelines3) Credits (Metadata) usually present4) For FOR557- Author’s name & date!5) Borders and neatlines.
a) Border around ALL map pieces or solid fill
b) Neatlines (or fill) around (in) various pieces
6) Color – tricky – but not garish!
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Map Evaluation Criteria
• Graphic Map ……………………………………..50%– Border (or fill)……………10%– White space …………………5%– Balance…………………………...5%– Color………………………………..5%– N arrow, legend …………..10%– Neatlines (or fill)…………..5%– Graphics ……………………….10%
• Total ………………………………………….……….50%
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Map Evaluation Criteria
• Title …………………………………………..5%• Legend ………………………………………20%
– All features represented– Only those specific feature types present– Good graphically
• Scale Bar …………………………………..10%• Credits ………………………………… …….5%• Map Works…………………………………10%• Sub Total……………………………………………..50%• Grand
Total……………………………………………………100%
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Lewis Roads and Hydro
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