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Cartographer Musings

Here are some things I’ve learned along the way, being in a fast-paced academic GIS & cartography environment:

Don’t take it personally if you make 5 maps and only 1 gets used in the final product. Be glad the 1 got used.

Sometimes a map is a conversation starter. They may see the beautiful map you designed and then wonder what it’d look like with a different measure added on top. Take it as a compliment, and then remember to try those things yourself next time.

Always be ready to explain why you did what you did. Halo behind the county labels in blue–Why? Data classified into equal intervals and not natural breaks–Why?

Making a couple of slightly differing versions of a map is always good if you have the time. Maybe one map classifies the data around the mean with a divergent color scheme, and another classifies into natural breaks in a blue gradient. Perhaps neither is wrong, but it will prompt others to think about the message and help them make a better product as well.

If the software you’re using has a spellchecker tool, use it.

The less you can do manually, the less room there is for error.

Print our your map, export it in a few formats to see if there are any deviations in the process from how it looks on your screen.

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Today I learned of this website.

They list reasons why the shapefile needs to be phased out, and propose some replacements and their pros and cons.

What do you think about shapefiles?

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you got this! how can we help?

Greetings from ArcGIS hell

It’s not glitching or anything, I just hate using this program

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Every Wednesday, the UDBS meets with our Reality Computing team to collaborate on the integration of a virtual reality environment into the HOME_Inc.UBATOR.  On one of those Wednesdays, the IDeATe Professor, Tom Corbett, walked us through navigation of a virtual reality experience within Google Earth.  In the video attached he shows briefly how to navigate the environment, change the time of day and shifting between google street views and aerial views. 

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Simple itinerary map i had done some time ago.

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An old map testing free data from Vancouver.gov

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For those who doubt me when I say most of my job is copying things from one table to another table, I present…my workday: a photo.

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nice!

A week difference and many hours in front of the PC learning QGIS on my own, without any book or YouTube tutorial. I am very, very proud of myself and I am also a bit sorry that we never had a professor to teach us these things… But at least I can do it on my own.

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GISCorps - an easy way to find opportunities to do volunteer GIS

http://www.giscorps.org/

From their website:

Interested in giving back or paying forward the generosity of mentors and teachers? Interested in helping bridge the digital divide that separates communities and hemispheres?

A program of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), GISCorps coordinates short term, volunteer GIS services to underprivileged communities worldwide. Our services support humanitarian relief, community development, local capacity building, health and education.

GISCorps is run by a Core Committee who e-meet monthly but e-communicate daily. Since its inception in October 2003, the Corps has attracted over 4,800 volunteers from 117 countries. To date, GISCorps has deployed 1,348 volunteers (from 77 countries) to 204 missions in 67 countries around the globe. These volunteers have contributed over 56,000 working hours towards those missions.

If you want to volunteer with the GISCorps fill out our Volunteer Application Form. If you need services from the GISCorps fill out our Project Application Form.

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If you want to be featured on F-Yeah GIS...

Use hashtags on your tumblr posts that make it easy to find your post (#GIS, #ArcGIS, #QGIS, #esri, #spatial analysis, #geography, etc)

Post your original content! Not just maps, but discussion and GIS resources are welcome too.

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A typical map that I get asked to create at the Icelandic Meteorology Office. Hofsjökull glacier in Iceland with different kinds of surveys done on the glacier. The map is set up as a 13 by 13 cm image that fits onto a standard report page.

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As GIS Coordinator I create a lot useful maps and graphics to aid co-workers. These are the Landsat paths and rows for Iceland for both WRS-1 and WRS-2.

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Made this animated map with Carto. Shows two “message in a bottle” devices released just offshore Iceland and tracked for 1½ years. You can also view this map and play with the timeline on Carto version. The devices were designed by VERKÍS released just offshore Iceland. The devices were tracked near-real time during their voyages and covered on the very popular kids’ science show “Ævar Vísindamaður” broadcasted and produced by The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Original Project Site here.

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GOES West imagery for today

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Nice!

Here’s a real-life data visualization I did during finals week (when I could have known better). It’s kind of hard to get an intuitive understanding of how many people live in various American urban areas! This map is supposed to help with that, while also being as annoyingly unlabeled and minimal and artsy as possible: circle area is proportional to metropolitan population.

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We are in the post-poduction part of the Frontit project. Loving QGIS tools for our e-bike routes!

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Working on QGIS

Working through some QGIS things…ask me questions?