Focusing on fundamental cartographic design principles, this course teaches how to create attractive maps that are easy to interpret and properly designed for their audience and delivery medium. You will learn to produce high-quality, database-driven maps by applying a standard cartographic workflow. Some course exercises use tools provided in ArcGIS Spatial Analyst and Maplex for ArcGIS.
- Experienced ArcGIS users with little or no cartographic experience.
- Experienced cartographers with limited ArcGIS experience who want to create database-driven maps.
After completing this course, you will be able to
- Plan a cartographic project.
- Evaluate data for cartographic purposes.
- Create appropriate symbology, map elements, and layout designs for different types of maps.
- Create labels and annotation that are easy to read by the map's intended audience.
- Apply a standard cartographic workflow to create maps efficiently using ArcGIS.
- Produce maps for a variety of delivery media, including a Web mapping application.
Cartographic planning process
- Advantages of GIS cartography
- Map scale
- Design controls
- Cartographic workflow
- Cartographic quality control
Selecting and evaluating data
- Nature of geographic data
- Selecting appropriate map data
- Accessing data
- ArcGIS Online
- Cartographic database design
- Quality control tasks
Choosing a coordinate system
- Geographic coordinate systems
- Datums
- Geographic transformations
- Projected coordinate systems
- Map projections
Elements of map design
- Map types
- Visual weight and visual hierarchy
- Contrast
- Figure-ground
- Color
- Perceptual limits
Qualitative and quantitative symbols
- Classified versus unclassified data
- Choropleth mapping workflow
- Defining the number of classes
- Designing color schemes
- Symbolization methods
- Designing symbols for different mediums
- Designing for the color-impaired
- 3D symbols
Advanced symbology techniques
- Managing symbols with styles
- Cartographic representations
- PLTS Visual Specifications tool
- Variable-depth masking
- Symbol-level drawing
- PLTS Views
Generalization
- Benefits and methods
- Creating generalization models
Symbolizing elevation
- Methods
- Three-dimensional views
- Layer transparency
- Raster considerations
- Combining vector and raster displays
- Image flattening
Map labels
- Type basics
- Legibility
- Font style usage
- Text placement guidelines
- Maplex
- Placement styles
- Label stacking
- Font size reduction
- Abbreviations
Creating and editing annotation
- Annotation overview
- Labels versus annotation
- Annotation editing techniques
- Advanced effects using masking
- Quality control
- Designing annotation for Web maps
Map layouts
- Layout considerations based on output medium
- Focus, balance, and symmetry
- Map layout workflow
- Coordinate grids
Map element design
- When to add map elements
- Determining map element prominence
- Adding explanatory text
- Inset maps
- Quality control for map elements
Map output
- Map templates
- Color calibration charts
- Exporting maps
- Printing maps
- Serving maps on the Web
- Using GIS services for visualization
- Quality control for map output
Final project
- Applying the cartographic workflow and basic cartographic design principles in a self-directed project
ArcGIS 9, ArcInfo 9, ArcGIS Extensions, Maplex, Spatial Analyst, ArcGIS Server Advanced Edition, ArcGIS Server Standard Edition
This course is designed to work with the following software:
| ArcGIS Desktop | Version |
| ArcInfo | 9.3.1 |
| ArcGIS Server* | Version |
| ArcGIS Server Advanced | 9.3.1 |
| ArcGIS Server Standard | 9.3.1 |
| *Only one of the listed licenses will be used in the classroom. |
| ArcGIS Desktop Extensions | Version |
| Maplex for ArcGIS | 9.3.1 |
| ArcGIS Spatial Analyst | 9.3.1 |
How do I know what ArcGIS Desktop software I have? [Flash] [Text]
Overview
Goals