Designing Maps

GTECH361Lecture 14

Cartographic Design Principles

Audience and purpose

Size, scale, and media

Visual balance

Audience and Purpose

Size, Scale and Media

Visual Balance

Elements of a Map

Map body Legend Title Scale North arrow (inset map)

Other Elements of a Map

Source of data Map projection Author Date Neatline Graphs, tables, images, informative

text ..leading towards a poster

Map Templates

Layer Transparency

Labels and Annotation

..more later today

Reference System Graticule ºN/S, ºE/W Measured grid X, Y Reference grid 12B or 14G

Map Layout Templates again

Working With Labels

Types Priorities

Feature weight Scale

Map Extent Label classes Label expressions

Point Labels

Labels for the cities are offset both vertically and horizontally to draw at the upper left of the features

Line Labels

Polygon Labels

Label Priorities

Default Point > Line > Polygon

Feature label weights

Scale Dependency

Labels and Map Extent

Label Position

Labels Scale

Labels Affected

Locked labels Static Yes In 'locked' extent

Dynamic labels and reference scale

Dynamic Yes In data frame

Non-uniform Labels

Label classes

Label Expressions

VBScript or JavaScript

[NAME] & vbNewLine & [AREA] & " Sq Km“

Annotations

Super-Labels Can be stored in their own

geodatabase class

Importing Annotations

From labels From Arc/Info coverage annotation Similar to address matching

Creates tables of unplaced annotations

Can be individually placed and edited

Annotation Groups

Descriptive Text in ArcGIS

Dynamic labels Map document annotation Graphic text Advantages Fast and easy to create Feature information Precise placement

Label classes General information General information Precise placement Annotation groups

How to create Label Manager Draw tools Draw tools

Data View Layout (in focus) Layout (no focus) From labels

Storage Generated dynamically from label properties MXD MXD Label properties saved in MXD or LYR

Source of text string Attribute Attribute or user input User input

Reference Geographic space Geographic space Page space