Dot Mapping

This week's Module 10 lab we learned about the dot mapping method. Dot maps are a type of thematic map used to help visualize distribution and densities of a large number of discrete numerical points. Dot maps rely on visual scatter to show spatial patterns and are commonly used for population maps.They display a good visual representation of variations and can also be used for statistical analysis. Dot maps have good spatial representation. Dot maps are easy for map readers to interpret. Dot maps visually match phenomena that changes smoothly over a space. There are a few disadvantages to using dot maps. The clustering can make it impossible to plot and interpret dot maps. Large numbers of dots are difficult to count and calculate actual figures. The size of the dot has to be carefully selected to display data clearly. The areas with no data give a false sense of emptiness. 
For our assignment this week, I mapped the population density of South Florida. I chose a size 3pt for the the dot symbol and the color red. I opted to no color for the county borders and the bodies of water for the main portion of the map because it made the map look cleaner. For the urban areas, I chose a mauve color and used a 50% transparency. I created an inset map for the state of Florida that included the county border outline for reference. I created two legends for more clarity for the map reader. One of the legends depicted the dot symbols and the proportional count. I created this by using the rectangle tool to make one square and copied it to make two more. I then used the circle tool and added the dot symbols. 

Flowline Mapping

For the Module 9 lab, we employed a radial flow map to depict the migration of immigrants from around the world to the United States. The map has a spoke like pattern in nodal form with all of the flow lines ending at the same destination, the United States. For my map, I opted to go with the Flowline Basemap A with the choropleth map located in the inset map. I chose to leave the continents in place and made all of the flow lines the same red color. I used the weight point that I calculated in excel to show the proportion of the migration count from each country. I set the opacity to 75% and added a drop shadow to all of the flow lines. I chose a brown to light tan graduated color scheme for the choropleth inset map. These colors were noted in the legend in the manual breaks method with the lightest colors correlating to the lowest immigration percentage. The legend also contained the immigration totals per country in descending order to match the color legend. I changed the color scheme for the countries and chose slightly vibrant colors since it was a world map and my map was not heavily stylized.

Isarithmic Mapping

Module 8 introduced the class to Isarithmic mapping. Isarithmic maps depict smooth, continuous phenomena across an area using varying symbology methods. The phenomena are measured at control points and interpolated using the appropriate method. We mapped the state of Washington depicting the annual average precipitation from 1981-2010. The precipitation data was derived by measuring at control points and interpolated using PRISM (Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model). This interpolation method accounts for major physiological factors (location, elevation, coastal proximity, topographic orientation, vertical atmospheric layer, topographic position, and orthographic effectiveness of the terrain) influencing climate patterns. As precipitation generally increases with elevation, PRISM integrates elevation into the surface by utilizing a digital elevation model (DEM). I created two maps with one using continuous tone symbology and the other using hypsometric tinting. The first map is a continuous tone map showing the annual average rainfall in Washington state from 1981-2010 using smooth stretch symbology. The second map implements hypsometric tinting and utilized classified symbology with the data manually divided into 10 different classes. Relief was incorporated into both maps by employing the hillshade effect but the hypsometric tint map also shows contour lines. The hypsometric tint map was ultimately used for the end product because it is ideal for geographically smaller areas such as a state where the continuous tone map would have been more appropriate if the map was of the United States.

Choropleth Mapping

This week's lab we produced a choropleth map denoting the population density of European countries and their wine consumption. A choropleth map is a thematic map in which enumeration units are shaded by intensity proportional to the data values associated with those units. The data needed to be normalized by using population density versus raw population count because the latter can be deceptive when land polygons are not the same size. The eye naturally follows areas of the same color giving larger polygons undue ranking and minimizes the significance of smaller polygons. For this map, I used the Europe Albers Equal Area Conic because equal area projections are ideal for choropleth maps especially when choosing to map population density. It shows the map is displayed in true proportions to its size on Earth. For the data classification, I chose the quartile method because it included all of the classes and contained a clear breakdown of the data displayed. Some of the other classifications did not include the darkest color class. I chose a graduated color ramp of brown light to dark that is color blind friendly. Since choropleth maps display alot of data by using color, I wanted my map to be easily read by every potential user. For the wine consumption, I chose the graduated symbols because the proportional symbols overlapped my entire map. I did not normalize this data because graduated/proportional symbology represents  numerical data associated with point locations, not area.