Characteristics of maps

• Definition: According to the International Cartographic Association, a map is: a representation,

normally to scale and on a flat medium, of a selection of material or abstract features on, or in relation

to, the surface of the Earth

• Maps are often stylised, generalized or abstracted and they requiring careful interpretation

• Usually out of date

• Show only a static situation - one slice in time

• Often highly elegant/artistic

• Easy to use to answer certain types of questions:

– how do I get there from here?

– what is at this point?

• Difficult or time-consuming to answer other types:

– what is the area of this lake?

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– what places can I see from this TV tower?
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 Cartographic process (five steps)
» Purpose & meaning of map
» User requirements, what should be communicated? Who are map readers
» How best to facilitate map communication?
» Scale of map
» Small/large scale, which information goes into the map?
» Map format (Printing limitations, economic of production & reproduction of map)
» Which printing format, will be be viewed digitally or on paper (analogue)
» Costs of map making (colour/black & white), incorporation of background imagery or not?
» Abstraction & generalisation of data
» Which datasets are required? Should feature be generalised?
» Remove unnecessary datasets/features
» Layout design
» Play around/experiment with different layouts
» Ensure you have included all necessary information & elements (legend, scale bar, netlike,
heading, north arrow, grid (where necessary), additional text & metadata)
» Ensure that you have used proper standard colours for your features
» Labelling, ensure that your labels are not clustered & that they do not intersect either polygon
boundaries or obstruct other features
» Ensure that your map is clear, legible & attractive
» Map elements are sized in terms of their importance (bigger elements are more important)

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 Map title
» Main focus of the map & should be
dominant
» Should be large, but not too large & should
leave enough room for other elements
» Should not crowd the edges of the map

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 Map body
» Sample map body
» This is th main focus of the map & it should
fill th entire , but still leaving room for other
map elements & it should not crowd the
edges of the map
» You can also insert another map

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 Legend
» Purpose - to identify unknown/unique map features
» Doesn’t necessarily have to include every self-evident map features, but only
those important features
» Don’t include the word “legend” as requested by the GIS software, however you
could include some meaningful text
» Symbols of the legend should be identical to those on the map, also in terms of
size
» Symbols should be at the left, with descriptions on the right
» Symbols should be evenly distributed and space from each other
» Symbols should align with description on the right & they should be left justified
» Legends may also include headings

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 North arrow
» Ensure that it is not big, just small enough to be seen
» Never place it on the right left hand side, but you could
place it on the top right, bottom right or bottom left side
» N.B. the Top right Side is reserved for important map
elements
» Purpose of north arrow is to indicate direction on a map
» For small scale maps, north arrow are not really
necessary, but for large scale map they are necessary
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 Labels
» Purpose - to communicate attribute & ancillary data & they help
to orient the map user to features shown on map
» Ensure that labels do not intersect either point, line or polygon
features ( they should fit inside polygons features)
» Ensure that your labels are not clustered
» Do not make your labels to be too big, just small enough to be
read
» For different features (e.g. districts, villages, schools etc.)
change font types, colours and sizes accordingly
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 Graticule
» Visual representation of a coordinate system/location
scheme on a map
» Inserted on a map if map reader will be referencing
coordinate locations on a map or if you want the map reader
to have an idea about the location of your map area
» Use meaningful divisions and units
» Not normally included o thematic maps
» Should be dominant on map and its text should be readable

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 Cartographic abstractions
• Production of a map requires:
– selection of the few features in the real world to include

– classification of selected features into groups (i.e. bridges, churches,

railways)

– simplification of jagged lines like coastlines

– exaggeration of features to be included that are to small to show at

the scale of the map

– symbolization to represent the different classes of features chosen

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 Types of maps
• in practice we normally think of two types of map:
– Topographic map - a reference tool, showing the outlines of

selected natural and man-made features of the Earth

– often acts as a frame for other information

» "Topography" refers to the shape of the surface, represented by contours and/or

shading, but topographic maps also show roads and other prominent features

– Thematic map - a tool to communicate geographical concepts such

as the distribution of population densities, climate, movement of

goods, land use etc

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Characteristics of a good map: (brainstorming)

• Highlighting the most important factors, remove unnecessary

details
• It should convey the intended information to its readers (How
well does it communicates with the audience)

• Have Heading, scale bar, north arrow, legend & text if necessary

• Labels (fitting inside the polygon, no overlapping labels, colour,

font, size,
• Map to fill the whole page (very important)

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 Map scale
• The scale of a map is the ratio between distances on the map and corresponding distances in the real

world

• If a map has a scale of 1:50,000, then 1 cm on the map equals 50,000 cm or 0.5 km on the Earth's surface

• The use of the terms "small scale" and "large scale" is often confused, so it is important to be consistent

• a large scale map shows great detail, small features

– representative fraction is large, e.g. 1/10,000

• a small scale map shows only large features

– representative fraction is small, e.g. 1/250,000

• the scale controls not only how features are shown, but what features are shown

• a 1:2,500 map will show individual houses and lamp posts while a 1:100,000 will not

• different scales are used in different countries

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 What are maps used for
• Traditionally they are used for navigation, reference documents and as wall

decorations, nowadays they are used for:

– Data display: provide useful ways of displaying information in a

meaningful way, e.g displaying data dispersion

– Data storage: storing village locations & names

– Spatial index/guide/catalogue/directory : they show area boundaries

e.g. districts, constituencies & community councils

– Data analysis tools: they are used in analysis to:

– make or test hypotheses, such as the identification of cancer clusters

– examine the relationship between two distributions using simple transparent overlays

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 Computer cartography
• Advantages of computer cartography
– Lower cost for simple maps, faster production

– Greater flexibility in output - easy scale or projection change - maps can be tailored to

user needs

– Other uses for digital data

• Disadvantages of computer cartography

– Full-scale systems are not truly cost-effective in practice, despite early promise e.g.

– High capital cost, though this is now much reduced

– Computer methods do not ensure production of maps of high quality

• There is a perceived loss of regard for the "cartographic tradition" "

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 GIS COMPARED TO MAPS

• Data stores

• spatial data stored in digital format in a GIS allows for rapid access for traditional as well as innovative purposes

• nature of maps creates difficulties when used as sources for digital data
– most GIS take no account of differences between datasets derived from maps at different scales

– generalization procedures is problematic

– such errors often become apparent only during later processing of digital data derived from them

• however, maps still remain an excellent way of compiling spatial information, e.g. field survey
– maps can be designed to be easy to convert to digital form, e.g. by the use of different colors which have distinct signatures when scanned by electronic

sensors

• as well maps can be produced by GISs as cheap, high density stores of information for the end user
– however, consistent, accurate retrieval of data from maps is difficult

– only limited amounts of data can be shown due to constraints of the paper medium

• Data indexes

• this function can be performed much better by a good GIS due to the ability to provide multiple and efficient cross-referencing and searching

• Data analysis tools (GIS is a powerful tool for map analysis)

– traditional impediments to the accurate and rapid measurement of area or to map overlay no longer exist

– many new techniques in spatial analysis are becoming available

• Data display tools (electronic display offers significant advantages over the paper map)
– ability to browse across an area without interruption by map sheet boundaries

– ability to zoom and change scale freely

– potential for the animation of time dependent data

– display in "3 dimensions" (perspective views), with "real-time" rotation of viewing angle 19
– The use of color and shading independent of the constraints of the printing process, ability to change colors as required for interpretation