what gis professionals should know about …...•presenter names presentation title billie leff,...

• Presenter Names

Presentation Title

Billie Leff, Esri Professional Services, [email protected]

What GIS Professionals Should Know about

Creating Great Print & Web Maps

1. Observations

2. Causes

3. Recommendations

Presentation Methodology

Observations for Maps Which Are Not Great

1. Contain excessive amount of content

2. Use bright or rainbow colors

3. Look inconsistent

1. Map Contains Excessive Amount of Content

1. Map Contains Excessive Amount of ContentCauses

Audience and/or use

case are not defined

Public or

Visitors

Management

e.g. Status Reporting

Staff/Experts

e.g. Planners

Map Audience and Use Case

As the …[user role] when I open the map,

I need to …[perform business function].

• Not about the data

• One map per use case

• “Everyone” is not a role

• “See” is not a business function

Data Visualizations Are For…

• Staff or expert audience

• Knowledge sharing

• Multiple and complex

ideas

• Minutes engagement

• Custom mapping

conventions

• Turning layers on and off

• 3 clicks to an answer

Complex data explorations with GIS-like capabilities

Narratives Are For…

• Public audience

• Engage and excite

• 6 second engagement

• Standard mapping

conventions (up to 6 colors)

• Strong visual hierarchy and

grammar

Targeted message maps

Infographics/Simple Maps Are For…

• Management/ executive

audience

• Fast and easy decision

making

• Actionable information

• 2 second engagement

• Not always a map

• 1-2 colors

One variable/message maps

Decluttering MapsRecommendations

• Cartography →maps

• Combining aesthetics, science and best practices

• To model reality and communicate

1. Define single audience and use case per map






a. Build multiple maps, if many use cases or

audiences exist






a. Build multiple maps, if many use cases or

audiences exist

b. If you must start with the data (content), categorize

it thematically and hypothesize an audience and a

use case

1. Map Contains Excessive Amount of ContentCauses

“The map is not as important as the app or function.”

“Esthetics are not important to us.”

35% of survey respondents indicated that the

function or data is more important than the map

esthetics.


• Remember that map ≠ GIS

• Esthetics and function are interrelated

• Understand that esthetics influence

- How long users are interested

- Map reading time

- Where on the map attention is drawn

2. Consider map look and feel as early in

the planning process as possible (23%)

- Simplicity

- Color use

- Typography

Labels for Maps

• Use 1-2 meaningful typefaces

- Serif: paragraphs, prominent features

- Italic: physical features

- San serif: fast recognition, numerous

Georgia and Arial

Merriweather and Source Sans Pro

• Label color = feature color -30% value

• Halo matches feature color or

predominant background color

• Scale-dependent

- 1 label size can cover 2-3 map scales

- Increase size by 2 points at a time

Dual Encoding

Dual encoding

at small scale

Feature

labeling at

larger scale

No labeling or dual

encoding at the largest

scale

2. Map Uses Bright/Rainbow/Unappealing Colors

2. Map Uses Bright/Rainbow/Unappealing ColorsCauses

Audience and/or use

case are not defined.

Public or

Visitors

Management

e.g. Status Reporting

Staff/Experts

e.g. Planners

2. Map Uses Bright/Rainbow/Unappealing ColorsCauses

Map maker is not familiar with

cartographic and design

principles VISUALhierarchy

ColorTheory

Visual VariablesHierarchy

1. Position changes in the x, y loc

2. Size change in length, area, repetition

3. Shape changes in shape

4. Value change from light to dark

5. Color changes in hue

6. Orientation changes in alignment

7. Texture variation in “grain”

Using Visual Variables

Order 2-3 types of features

Differentiate between 3-4 types of features

Order 2-5 types of features or Differentiate

between 2-6 types

Differentiate between 2-6 types of features, especially when used with higher level visual variables

Avoid using orientation and texture unless

these are intuitive and used in combination with higher

level visual variables

• Move as high up in the visual variable hierarchy as you can

• When possible, combine visual variables e.g. shape and color

Visual Hierarchy

Visual Contrast

Color Theory (For Maps)

• Features in different colors are interpreted as different

• Colors produce different sensory experiences

• Differentiating features by color alone may present

challenges for visually impaired audiences

Designing for a color-impaired audience(ADA Section 508 Compliance)

Use

Avoid UseBlue-green, blue

Orange, gold

Light green and dark red

Dark green and light red

Avoid

Distinguishing

feature by

color alone

Green, red, orange and yellow

with same saturation and value

Size and

value (or

color)

Different shapesLabel and color

1

2

3

Color Theory (For Maps) Continued

• The impact of “color” depends on it’s relative

lightness/darkness and saturation/chroma

Specifying color: CMYK and RGB

RedCyan

0 100

Magenta

0 100

Yellow

0 100

Black

0 100

82 C

31 M

0 Y

10 K

Red

0 255

Green

0 255

Blue

0 255

20 R

150 G

230 B

Specifying color: HSV

Saturation

0 100

0 100

Hue

0 360255

Value

46

75

255 H

46 S

75 V


Saturation

0 100

0 100

Hue

0 360255

Value

46

75

194 H

46 S

75 V

255 H

46 S

75 V

194

10 points of

separation for

adjacent features

30 points for non-

adjacent


Saturation

0 100

0 100

Hue

0 360194

Value

194 H

16 S

95 V

46

75

194 H

46 S

75 V

16

95

10 points of

separation for

adjacent features

30 points for non-

adjacent

Appealing MapsRecommendations

• Understand that cartography is its own art,

science and skill set

• Understand that maps are means of

communication, not just pretty art

3. Acquire cartographic skills

a. Hire staff with cartographic skills

(graphic design)

b. Provide cartography training for GIS staff

c. In a pinch and/or if resources are not

available, seek expert help

3. The Maps We Produce Look Inconsistent

3. The Maps We Produce Look InconsistentCauses

Lack of standards, especially

for web cartography

Existing (e.g. web design)

standards are not being

applied

Cartographic Standards/Guidelines ExamplesUS Department of Agriculture Visual Standards Guide 2013

Cartographic Standards/Guidelines ExamplesNY State Branding Overview, Guidelines and Architecture

Cartographic Standards/Guidelines ExamplesColorado Brand Guidelines

Cartographic Standards/Guidelines ExamplesColorado Brand Guidelines, continued

Cartographic Standards/Guidelines ExamplesUS Department of Veteran Affairs Graphic Standards

Cartographic Standards/Guidelines ExamplesUS Department of Veteran Affairs Graphic Standards, continued

Consistent MapsRecommendations

• Understand that cartographic consistency

is important for

- Brand identity

- Map reading speed

4. Assign Chief Cartographer/Carto SMEs

5. Establish and document carto

standards/guidelines and practices

- Consistent with web presence

- Leverage existing industry standards and carto

best practices for the medium

- Practices should allow for iterative development

- Define color and typography use per theme

- Curate resources and procedures, esp. QC

- Review periodically

[email protected]

Recommendations for Effective and Attractive Maps

1. Define a single audience and business use case for each map

a. Build multiple maps, if many use cases or audiences exist

b. If starting with the data, categorize it thematically, hypothesize an audience and use case

2. Consider map look and feel asap: simplicity, color use, typography

3. Acquire cartographic skills on staff

a. Hire staff with cartographic skills (graphic design)

b. Provide cartography training for GIS staff

c. In a pinch and/or if resources are not available, seek expert help

d. Assign a Chief Cartographer or a group of Carto SMEs

e. Establish and document cartographic standards/guidelines and practices

Marker Symbol Options

• Character and stacked character markers (glyphs from a font set)

• Raster graphics (pictures)

• Vector graphics (.SVG)

Scale-Based Sizing

• At the symbol level

• Only for line features

• Not currently reflected

in the TOC or legend

Scale-Based Rendering

• At the layer level

• Using unique values

• Can use multiple attributes

• Can be used in combination with

scale-based sizing and display filters

• Single layer in the TOC with alternate

symbols at the different scales

Display Filters

• At the layer level

• Like query definitions by scale

• Independent of symbology

• On the Appearance tab

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2:45-3:45 146A ArcGIS StoryMaps: Agencies Are Creating Great Story Maps

146B ArcGIS Extensions: Tools for Topographic Data Production

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what gis professionals should know about …...•presenter names presentation title billie leff,...

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