GEOG 260 midterm

More figurative than literal but have some topographic elements
Umma map, mesopotamia
Bedolina map (100-200 bc)

Astronomer for Alexandria
Project the world, coordinates, place names
Disappeared for 15 centuries

Map of roman empire (300 AD or later)
Very long (6.5 meters) but may have lost 2 meters
Sri Lanka to British Isles
Modern road atlas- distances between towns are correct
Functions: Showed unity among territories, military atlas (but not convenient at all)

Circular shape, very simple, no mathematical elements
Shows mountains, rivers
Religious symbols (adam, eve and snake)
Symbolism over accuracy

Circular, roads and towns
Jesus head at top, feet at bottom, and hands at side
Even as accuracy and details come symbolism is still very present
Destroyed in WW2 and recreated after from a photograph
Monstrous figures on the edges and heaven on top of jesus, jerusalem in centre (all big areas are of religious)
Main functions: way to teach a vision about the world

Less detailed, no images
Looks much more mathematical, rivers
Carved in stone
Inaccuracies were put it to match Yu’s idea of what china was

Drawn for king of Sicily
Part of a book- book of Roger
Served as a reference for centuries, used for navigational purpose of mediterranean sea
Simple maps about the world accompanied with text for Roger to be able to expand his empire

For navigational purposes- through oceans
Sequence of towns is very clear and main purpose (coast of africa)
Mountains, rivers, seas, trade routes
No religious symbolism, no borders
Since there is no americas, christopher columbus used this map to say you could travel from spain to asia

More and more defined shapes
Lines to get from town to town
Easier to carry with travellers
Map of Ptolomy is inspiration

Shows americas- north america isn't as explored
Route across the world

Created by native americans
Used to communicate with colonisers
Shows colonisation
Crafted in native style but bound in european manner
Bird as large symbol

Shows important people in society
Local precision in roads and rivers

Improvement of measurement
Shows cities and coastlines of France

Cassini family
Shows control over the land and whole country (france)

Routes in Alaska by indigenous chief and his wives
Remapping alaska based on travelling times

Shows islands in pacific that were not known by colonizers
Based on request from captain
Created by indigenous polynesian man (Topia) - drawn on ancestral knowledge
Scale of islands is based on importance of history not necessarily their real size

Represent reference of the world- as precise as the world
Modern thematic map
Graded colors to show mathematical data at administrative level (by provinces/states etc)- color whole map, entire country

Maps in cinema- propaganda
They are animated

more zoomed in

more zoomed out
maps of states, countries and continents

Special purpose maps
Focus attention on the structure of the distribution
Capture the basic structure of geographical phenomena
Can be at any scale (structure more important than accuracy)

Default map, can locate series of data for 1 topic
Complex map- what were more used to seeing
Eg the native land map- shows indigenous territories based on treaties, languages or treaties

A thematic map that uniformly colours each non-overlapping enumeration unit according to the represented value
Often with administrative structure
Continuous, information is shown in different shades of a colour, has quantities of data

A line derived through interpolation that connects points of equal attribute value on a map
Uses contour line to show data
Lines are equal value- connect lines where value is the same
Eg elevation map
Different levels of colour

A thematic map that scales the size of a point symbol proportional to the represented value
Shows quantitative information by symbols of size proportional to the information
A circle that is 2 times bigger has twice as much of the value

Quantity of movement between 2 points shown by a line
Thicker the line the higher the quantity

Eg london underground tube map
Can have other visualisations of the above ground
Alignment of order of stations is much more important than actual correct geography

A thematic map that scales the size of an enumeration unit proportionally to the represented value
Maps are resized according to a statistic
Eg distorted country size based on CO2 emissions

Data occur at points (true point data)

A thematic map that uses isolines resulting from interpolating values collected at sample points

Data occur over geographical areas (conceptual point data) (only for relative values)

A thematic map that uses isolines resulting from interpolating values enumerated across areas

Synthesises elements without trying to be accurate in location or data

As scale goes down there is more area, less detail, more generalisation and classification

Bit more subtle but important in good map design
Simplified coast lines→ appropriate when it’s not really important to the map

can be:
Selection: select few features from human or natural environment
Dimension change:often necessary when changing scale and useful for removing unnecessary detail
Simplification: features are often simplified to enhance visibility, reduce clutter, and with digital data reduce the size of the file
Smoothing: reduces their angularity
Displacement: moves vital map features apart that visually interfere with one another
Enhancement: occurs when the map maker knows enough about the feature being mapped to add details that aid in understanding

It is based on lat/long which correspond to angles at the centre of the earth based on an origin on an ellipsoid
This gives the basic equirectangular “projection” (360 e/w and 180 n/s) (‘geographic projection’)
Asset: preserves distance
Limits: does not preserve shape or area

Projections preserve either
Shape (conformal)
Area (equivalent)
distance/ direction
Most of everything

preserves shapes, changes areas- distorted at poles

Good for equator, but distorts very bad
Good for small areas
Bad choice of map
Transverse mercado: recentered sideways along a meridian scale is true along that meridian

preserves areas, distorts shape- little distortion at equator, very at poles, good in-between

Suggests round earth
Can be recentered to minimise shape distortions of regions of great inetrest

Bad distortion of shape
Perpendicular lat/long
Created by peters based on gall projection
Challenged the mercator projection used for centuries
Highlight the important of southern continent- everything at equator is bigger than it had been in other projections

Preserves distANCES

Preserves neither shape or area, but reduces distortion of both
Mapping data area on it is okay
Rounded sides
Avoids excessive distortions near the poles
Good choice of map

Type family: group of type design that share characteristics and name
Differentiated by type style: bold, light, italic
Typeface: family and style
Type size: height measured by point
Font: typeface + type size

short extensions at the end of letters→ if not it's a sans serif

Preferebe for modern styles (eg sans serif)
1 (or 2) types on a map
No underline (bold instead)
Size: between 6 point and 24 point (page size map)
Avoid colours (black/white/ grey) (except for conventions; eg water)
Keep in mind the background

Start at centre and work outwards
Label ports and harbours town on the sea
Inland towns on the land
Land features on the land, water feature on the water
Label town s on the side of the river they are on

Along side and parallel to the line
Place above symbol
Try horizontal, if vertical place 1st letter at bottom
Repeat label instead of stretching it out

Fit as much as possible in the area it represents
Text follows a gentle and smooth curve, as horizontal as possible
As far from edges as possible
Different size areas shown by different size fonts

Compartmentalised- each components in separate, often boxed components
Rigid, institutional look, classic

Fluid- no sharp distinctions
Better aesthetic

Theory of visual perception: “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”
Underpins many cartographic design rules

Closure, common fate, continuity, figure-ground, proximity, similarity, smallness/area, symmetry

Mapped where people where getting cholera via water pumps

Published in 1967 by jacques bertin (english in 1983)
Set of rules allowing the use of a graphic system of sign to communicate an information
Part of semiology; science addressing all the systems of signs
Not just for maps but also diagrams et reseaux

Semiology:
Study of particular language
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913)
Dyadic relation: sign= signifier (sound or image of a sign) + signified (concept/idea represented)

Semiotic:
Canonic approach of the philosophy of languages
Charles Sander Peirce (1839-1914)
Triadic relation: sign= signifier (sound or image of a sign) + signified(what it means ie concept) + interpretant (what it represents (eg place, object)

sign= signifier + signified + interpretant
Became in cartography sign= sign vehicle + referent +interpretant

Referent: the activity or object that a sign denotes
Sign vehicle: the graphic form of a symbol that denotes a referent
Interpretant: the meaning imbued in the sign

Denotation: most objective/ ‘neutral’ meaning of a word/sign
Connotation: most common subjective meaning of a word/ sign

the degree to which the sign of the icon visually resembles its referent
High: very realistic, low: more abstract

Pictorial: shows referent

Associative: shows sign of something related to referent, but not the referent itself
Park: tree, library: someone reading, someone doing an activity

Geometric: bares little to no reference to referent