This is the map place

 This weeks lesson we took a look at Isarithmic mapping, specifically continuous and hypsometric shading maps. We essentially went through the process of creating a rain map, which was pretty cool. One of the few maps that nearly everyone uses frequently, it was neat to see and understand how it was made. I uploaded both versions of the map we produced. The hypsometric tinting with the contours is the better map, in my opinion. But both maps used interesting tools I haven't used much before, such as creating contours and DRA.

 This weeks lab covered creating Choropleth maps and explored graduated and proportional symbols. The difficulty didn't come so much from the exercise but the instructions. There were instructions such as translating languages within ArcPro that we were never taught to do and the names of tool locations were incorrect. But selecting options from drop downs and playing with colors is something you get used to quick as a GIS professional. I was also looking forward to playing with nested legends, unfortunately the lab instructions contained no guidance other than "Nested legends have been included in ArcGIS Pro." 

 This module was focused on data classification. As mapmakers, the tools we use are embedded with the opportunity for misrepresentation and falsehood. This lesson showed various ways to use this tool and how to account for the issues that come with. The mapping itself was fairly straightforward, nothing we hadn't covered in M3. The real work for this module was understanding the concepts behind the statistic tools we are working with. As you can see below, each map uses a different mode of classifying the data. I tried to balance the maps and maintain continuity in placement of the map elements.

Good afternoon, my fellow map addicts. This week we took a look at implementing the Gestalt principles into our map. We had to create a map showing the schools in D.C. I found it a particularly fun challenge as the instructions said to only have the schools in the legend, really making you think of how you want to display the data. I used screening for unimportant features, maintained balance by utilizing the empty space in the map, and tried to maintain a strong contrast within the map. I used the clipping tool, annotations, and a lot of symbology work.  

 This week, we covered Typography. The main goal was to make maps readable, presentable, and engageable. For my map, I used ArcGIS Pro. The data was provided in a gdb. and wasn't edited. I primarily used the labelling and symbology tools. I changed the background to male the labels and data pop out more. I removed the lakes and streams as they just cluttered the map and didn't seem pertinent. I also made the marshes and swamps green as that is their natural color.