Cartography
Dr. Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq
Atiq.Tariq@gmail.com
What is cartography
ESRI’s online dictionary defines
cartography as …
“the art and science of expressing
graphically, usually through maps, the natural
and social features of the earth “
What is on a map?
• Cultural features
– Roads, lakes, buildings, rivers, contours, etc.
• Numeric data
– income, population data (census data), etc
• Physical Features
– Geology, landuse, forestry, soils, vegetation,
landcover etc.
How is this data represented?
The Earth as a Globe
http://www.jonessoda.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/globe.png
Flat surface is needed
The earth is a sphere. It has to be
developed into a flat surface. To do
this the globe or earth has to be
flattened out or projected.
Maps versus Globes
• Map: a representation of the world or part of
it, in two dimensions
• Globe: a 3-D representation of the entire
earth surface.
What are some advantages and disadvantages
of each?
http://www.genekeyes.com/CAHILL_GALLERY/1913-Cahill-rubber-ball.jpg
Map Projections
• Mathematical method for systematically
transforming a 3-D earth into a 2-D map.
• Three traditional types:
– cyllindrical
– conical
– planar (azimuthal-zenithal)
• Newer Mathematical Projections
– Robinson
Cartographer’s Dilemma
• All maps introduce distortion:
– shape (conformance)
– size (equivalence)
– direction
– distance
• Maps can be either equivalent or
conformal, but cannot emphasize both
characteristics.
Cylindrical
Conic
Planar
Scales
Representative Fraction
1:50,000
Verbal Statements
One cm to 0.5 km
Scale Bar
image from http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/education/protocols/maps/map_scale_bar.jpg
Scale
– Large Scale
• 1:5,000 …..City map
– Small Scale
• 1:30,000,000 …..Map of Canada
Large Scale Map 1:2,500
Source: Toronto property data map
Small Scale Map 1:30,000,000
Source: ArcCanada data
Types of Maps
• Thematic
A map designed to convey information
about a single topic or theme, such as
population density or geology.
http://resources.arcgis.com/glossary/term/1109
• General purpose (Topographic)
A topographic map is a detailed and accurate
graphic representation of cultural and natural
features on the ground.
http://maps.nrcan.gc.ca/topo101/faq_e.php
Thematic Map
Topographic Map
From www.geogratis.ca
Map Features
– Point
– City
– Church
– Line
– River
– Street
– railway
– Area
– City
– Geological features
– Forest
– Landuse
Source:DMTI Spatial Inc. V2009.4, Canmap Route Logistics
Data and Mapping
• Qualitative
– Shows spatial distribution or a location of data
e.g. geology map, soils, land use, etc.
– Not dependent on numeric data
• Quantitative
– Shows the spatial aspects of numerical data e.g.
income data, population density etc
Qualitative Map
Quantitative Values
Quantitive Map
COLOUR
Source: http://static.colourlovers.com/uploads/2009/03/ http://dailyartist.blogspot.com/2010/12/
3178130243_508e7584bf.jpg mark-rothko-september-25-1903-february.html
COLOUR CHOICES
10 Colour Intervals
7 Colour Intervals
5 Colour Interval
Colour Brewer
Colour Advice for Cartography
http://colorbrewer2.org/
Rules for Placing
Text and Graphics
http://portal.survey.ntua.gr/main/courses/geoinfo/admcarto/lecture_notes/name_placement/bibliography/belbin_1996.pdf
Text Placement
http://portal.survey.ntua.gr/main/courses/geoinfo/admcarto/lecture_notes/name_placement/bibliography/belbin_1996.pdf
Map Layout
Use of white space
Fill white space with map title,
legend, scale bar, source, projection
information, north arrow
Space map elements with equal white space
Map Layout
Map Layout
Map Layout
ESRI Mapping Centre
http://mappingcenter.esri.com/
USE ARCGIS HELP
