Cartographic Skills: Final Project

Every year in the United States, high school students are able to take a standardized test called the SAT that tests their knowledge in three particular subjects which are math, critical reading, and writing. Each subject is graded separately at first and then added together to give the composite score result. These composite scores are a requirement to get into most colleges across the United States. In 2014, CollegeBoard.org gather data from each state of their high school students’ participation percentage and the SAT mean scores in the three subjects that students were tested in. Based the data gathered, Washington Post wanted to utilize this information to write an article regarding the high school seniors and college entrance scores. This data was to be displayed by using a map to illustrate the SAT mean composite scores and the participation percentage by state.

The thematic method that was used to create this map was the choropleth mapping technique which allows the mean composite scores to be display by each state across the United States. The composite scores were classified by using five classes and the Equal Interval classification method. The Equal Interval classification method was used due to the fact that this method has each class placed at an equal interval along the number line. Using this method, map readers are able to interpret the information easily and there are not gaps in the mean composite scores on the legend of the map (Slocum, Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization, 2009). Another thematic method that was used was a loosely-based dot mapping technique which was executed in Adobe Illustrator. The ellipses were placed in each state which they had the participation percentage information.


The reason why this map was created was to cartographically show the SAT mean composite scores in each state, as well as the participation percentage of high school students, that occurred in 2014; however, the final product of the map needed easily understandable to the audience reading the Washington Post article. The orientation of the map is set to landscape mode which encompass all of the data more effectively and does not look cluttered. Gestalt’s Principles of figure-ground was implemented when deciding the blue color scheme of the choropleth map that would allow the states stand out from the mute light green-gray color background. Also, visual hierarchy was utilized as well when making the participation percentage ellipses a beige color so the importance of the number data that was being convey in each state would be more evident.  
 

Intro to GIS: Final Project

In this final project, we created various maps using ArcMap to analyses different objectives for the Bobwhite-Manatee Transmission Line project. The project was to place a transmission line from the Manatee Energy Center starting in Manatee County and moving south down to Sarasota County. The transmission line would allow people in Sarasota County to have more access to energy. The four objectives that we had to analyses were:

• It avoids large areas of environmentally sensitive lands
• It has relatively few homes in close proximity.
• It generally avoids schools and school sites.
• The line can be built along this route for a reasonable cost. 

Each of these maps should the final results of the analyses taken from these objectives that FPL requested. Also, these maps show the skills that I have learned from this course.

Link for presentation: http://students.uwf.edu/ts95/Intro2GIS/Bobwhite-manateeTransmissionLineproject.pptx
Link for commentary: http://students.uwf.edu/ts95/Intro2GIS/commentaryscranton.htm

Cartographic Skills: Module 12 - Google Earth

In this week's module, we learned to convert our maps and layers associated with the maps into KMZ files in ArcMap. We later open these KMZ files in Google Earth where we created a map of South Florida and recorded a tour focusing on the more populated areas of South Florida.

The map that we created in Google Earth is based off the map that we previously made in Module 10 which was the 'South Florida Dot Density Population'. The Google Earth map that was created focuses on the 23 counties in South Florida. The KMZ files that were used for this map were created in ArcMap by using the 'Map to KML' and 'Layer to KML' tools. Before recording the tour of the more populated areas of South Florida, I had to drop placemarkers in each of the locations so the tour would focus on those areas specifically. The Google Earth software provided me with the recording tool which I used to create the South Florida tour. 

Cartographic Skills: Module 11 - 3D Modeling

In this week's lab, we learned about 3D modeling in presenting map data. We partook in a ESRI workshop training which helped us to better grasp the material that we were learning. We created various maps throughout the ESRI training which taught us how to set the base height of the raster and feature data, manipulate the vertical exaggeration, illumination setting, how extrusion works, and using the extrusion technique to show the value of parcels. 


One of pluses is that allows he 3D map can presents data as a timeline which allow the viewer to see the events of the phenomenon's movement through an area. Another plus about using a 3D map for presenting this data is that the viewer can see geographic and terrain features more in-depth. One of the negative about using this type of map presentation is that requires the author of the map to be able to input all of the data needed for conveying the relative information . Another negative is that the data can be hard to interpret if the map viewer is not familiar with the phenomenon that is being present, such as historical invasions or land parcel values. 

One application of a 3D building layer is gives visual effect to the map that is being presented to the map viewer. The 3D building layer helps the viewer comprehend the map’s data and it might help them get their bearings in a new place with having the 3D models of the buildings in the map data. The second application of 3D building layer is to present data in a new way, such as the value of the parcel by having 3D scales above the land parcels.

Intro to GIS: Week 13 - Georeferencing

In this week's lab, we learned about georeference, editing, and ArcScene.To show that we understood the material, we created a map of UWF's Campus. We had to merge the raster data (UWF's North and South Aerial images) and the vector data (building features, roads, and eagles nest data) as one dataset. To do this we used the 'Georeferencing' tool to connect the ' UNKNOWN' (raster) data to the 'KNOWN' (vector) data. After geoferencing the data, we had to edit some of the presence data that was not documented which was the UWF Campus Gym and Campus Lane roadway. The 'Editor' toolbar was quite useful for creating new polygons for the gym building and connecting Campus Lane with other existing roadways. Another purpose of this map was to show where an eagles nest was located to preventing any kind of destruction to the eagles' habitat. If any construction were to take place, we created a multiple ring buffer zone showing the extent of the eagles' nesting ground. The first buffer ring extended to 330ft and the second one extended to 660ft. Once we were finish mapping out the data, we started to dabble in ArcScene which allowed us created a 3D effect and add a different angle of perspective to the data that we were manipulating. We used ArcScene to created 3D presentation of the DEM of UWF's Campus, buildings, and roadways.