This document discusses key aspects of map design, including cartography, simplification, intentions, three design questions, layout, and symbolization. It emphasizes that maps simplify reality, are designed by people with intentions, and three questions must be answered before design: who the audience is, where the map will be seen, and the purpose. The document also covers layout design principles like balanced positioning of map elements, and symbolization techniques to represent features through points, lines, polygons, proportions, and multivariate symbols.

1. Maps and the Geospatial Revolution
Lesson 5 – Lecture 1
Anthony C. Robinson, Ph.D
Lead Faculty for Online Geospatial Education
JohnA. Dutton e-Education Institute
Assistant Director, GeoVISTA Center
Department of Geography
The Pennsylvania State University
This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License

2. Making Great Maps
• Cartography is the art and science of making maps
• Maps are always simplifications of reality
– Simplification is what makes maps helpful when we
need to make a decision, explain patterns, or find a
bucket of fried chicken
• Maps are designed by people (who have intentions)
so we have to map responsibly

3. Making Great Maps
From: Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS by John Krygier and Denis Wood - makingmaps.owu.edu

4. Three Key Questions
• Who wants a map?
– Is it 10 experts, or 20,000+ in a MOOC?
• Where will it be seen?
– On a small piece of paper, or in a web map?
• What is its purpose?
– To explain how my town has changed over time, or to help
someone plan a pub crawl?
• Each of these questions deserves a well-thought answer before
mapmaking begins

5. Layout Design
• One of the first steps in mapmaking is to
develop a balanced layout
• Map(s), title, legend, scale bar, source text,
etc… all need to be positioned and sized
relative to one another
• Goal is to shape this general layout design to
match the answers to three design questions

6. Layout Design
From: Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users by Cynthia A. Brewer - http://tinyurl.com/kdo25ze

7. Layout Design
From: Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users by Cynthia A. Brewer - http://tinyurl.com/kdo25ze

8. Symbolization
• Simplifying reality requires Cartographers
to use symbols to represent features
• Points, lines, and polygons can be
graphically manipulated to explain data
• Symbolization can emphasize a visual
connection to a real feature, or can be very
abstract

9. Point Symbols

10. Proportional / Graduated Symbols

11. Multivariate Symbols

12. Maps and the Geospatial Revolution www.coursera.org/course/maps
Twitter @MapRevolution
Online Geospatial Education @ Penn State www.pennstategis.com
This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License