ATS2780 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Railways Act 1921, Cyan, Visual Hierarchy
25 May 2018
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Lecture 4 – Map Design and Map Making
Map Design
• Set of choices relating to
o What geographical entities and their features are to be presented
o How geographical entities are classified
o How symbols such as colours are selected
o How texts are placed
o How a map’s elements are laid out
• The process of applying cartographic knowledge and experience to improve
the effectiveness of a map
Map Design Process
• Section
o Geographical space and features to be mapped, map scale, data
variables, data gathering or sampling, client needs, familiarization with
what is to be mapped
o Coverage and area of map
o Selection and organisation of information to help user interpret spatial
patterns and processes
o Purpose: audience of map
o Depends on scale you use
▪ Scale determines level of detail
▪ Larger scale – more detailed
▪ Smaller scale – fewer features
▪ Cartographic obstruction and generalisation
• Classification
o Grouping and categorising similar objects or features to reduce
complexity and organise the mapped information to enhance
communication
o Categorical (nominal and ordinal) data
▪ Nominal data are labels that provide descriptions (names), code
of land uses
▪ Can also be catergorised into classes and subclasses (e.g.
provinces, states)
o Or quantitative data
▪ Counts, amounts, rations, or ranked values
▪ Must classify data and group similar numerical values into
ranges (classes) and then assign the same symbol to each class
▪ E.g. population map
o Classification Methods
▪ Equal Interval
• Divide the ranges of attribute data into equal-sized sub-
ranges
• Useful for comparing amount of a value with other
values
• E.g. rage 0-1000, will have 5 class (0-200, 201-400etc)
• Easy to understand
• Most suitable for familiar data ranges
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