Monday, September 29, 2014

Lab 4 Notes

1. Selecting and copying your boundary from one Illustrator file to another.

Even though we exported the boundaries as "ai" files, they have levels of grouping applied from ArcMap. When you initially open one of your files from ArcMap and click the boundary (on the line work), the entire page is highlighted (not just the boundary outline). Double click on the boundary again. Note that the top of the window now shows a "group" subclass (this what I refer to as grouping applied in ArcMap). The conversion from shapefile to AI leaves these artifacts. In order to get to our boundary for copying (or any modification), we need to go through a process of clicking to get through the layers of grouping.

Double click twice more to get to the Clip Group level. Now you should be able to single click and highlight nodes and lines. Holding shift, click to select any remaining pieces. Now you can copy and paste the boundary into your fresh new Illustrator lab 4 document (on its own labelled layer). 

This process of clicking and double-clicking will be a recurring issue when using our ArcGIS generated boundaries. I am trained to double-click until the arcs and nodes become highlighted. Then I can tinker. 

The gray bar at the top of the window that shows the levels of grouping also has an arrow on the left side. Clicking the arrow will take you back up the levels of grouping. You may need to do this if you click beyond the "Clip Group" level (into the Compound Path). The arrow will also just take you back to a normal state.

2. Stuck on Part 1? Here's one approach...

Open ArcMap. Go to File -> Add data -> Add Data from AcrGIS Online.
Find USA Counties Generalized. Click Add. It will take a moment but will appear on the screen.
Go back to Add Data from ArcGIS Online and add USA States Generalized (scroll down to find it).

Now you need to select out just the parts you want (VA, MD, DC and the counties of VA and DC). There are many ways to do this. Here is one way that seems simple.
Zoom into the east coast.
Starting with the states: click on the Sublayer "USA_States_Generalized" to highlight it. Go to Selection (top menu bar) -> Interactive Selection Method -> Create New Selection. Use the cursor to click on the states that you want to select including DC. Then create a new layer with just your selected items (right-click on the highlighted sub-layer, choose Selection -> Create Layer from Selected Features). A new layer (likely in purple) called "USA_States_Generalized selection" will appear in the left column.

Now we can grab out the counties in VA and MD using the new layer of just "selected" states. Go to Selection at the top -> Select by Location. In the popup window set "USA_Counties_Generalized" as the "select feature from" part. Set the Source layer to "USA_States_Generalized selection." Click apply. This will give you all of the counties (plus the ones on the perimeter of the states). To delete those unwanted counties go back to top menu: Selection -> Interactive Selection Method -> Remove from current selection and click on the ones you don't want. When you are down to just the counties in VA and MD, right-click on the USA_Counties_Generalized, choose Selection -> Create Layer from Selected Features. A new layer (likely in purple) called "USA_Counties_Generalized selection" will appear in the left column.

At that point you will have 2 created layers that only have the content you want: one for states and one for counties. Hide everything except for the selected states layer and proceed with the Export steps in the writeup. Then hide the states and make the selected counties visible. Export it as a separate file following the writeup. Proceed to Illustrator and verify that the boundaries worked. If so, you're set!

Friday, September 26, 2014

Lab 4 Examples


Scale shouldn't say "equals"

Remember to create contrast between your county lines and the labels. You do not want the counties to muddle the text. 

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Weekly Blog Map #4: Campus Map

This week we are discussing graphic design. In that regard, I want you to find a campus map that is exceptionally well designed (any college or university anywhere). Higher education is a business and smart ones use their map as an additional marketing tool. They incorporate trees and creeks and natural elements in addition to buildings and parking lots. Find a map that makes a compelling case to you based solely on the map they present.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Census 2000 Maps

Throughout the semester I am going to refer to a set of maps made by the Census Bureau (with the help of Cindy Brewer at Penn State) based on 2000 census data. It is a well constructed composition of maps that display a wide range of thematic data using several different symbologies. 
The pages take a bit to load (as pdfs) but the quality is excellent. You can use them as a reliable source. Look at them closely. How do they deal with noncontiguous entities? How do they classify the data? Look at layout, figure/ground, legend design, basemap, etc. 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Lab 3: Harpers Ferry Map -- Important Info

So...you've been working diligently on your lab -- mimicking the labels from the master printout. You go to print it out (to check your placements and sizes and colors) and find it is smaller than the master print. And when you Save for the Web...it is much smaller.

What should you do?

Hand in the map at 100% size (no scaling) in color with a landscape orientation (which can be set in the printing window). I will grade the printed size and understand the corresponding difference in font size. With 31 maps to grade, I will quickly learn the target size.

For the blog copy, use the normal Save for Web... You may have to use the Hand tool to move the map into the visible window. Try deselecting the "Clip to Artboard" button. Save as PNG-24. That should suffice for the blog.

Questions? Post a comment to this post.

Weekly Blog Map #3: Type

This week find a map that uses type in an effective or creative way. There are some art maps out there that take the symbology of type to the extreme, but there are loads of examples of "normal" maps that are elevated by interesting uses of text. Either style will do. Search around and find an example no one has posted! Include a link to the original site and a sentence explaining why it is your pick. 

TypeBrewer

A new Typography tool for Cartographers has been created: TypeBrewer  http://www.typebrewer.org/
It is a content-rich Flash applet that lets you view the effect of different fonts on a particular map. It gives you the ability to modify the font, try different fonts, even upload your own fonts. There are also extensive notes about the different styles and guides on usage. It is nicely done and I encourage everyone to use it as a guide.

Type


This is the week we explored typography. One of the best parts of type is the variety -- how the simple shift to a different font can make a dramatic visual change to your map. In lecture, I mention the web as a source for so many interesting free (non-copyrighted) fonts. My favorite site is dafont.com: http://www.dafont.com/  It has such variety --I can waste some good time just browsing through them. But you have to be careful using some of the specialty fonts: several fonts do not have a complete set of characters and numbers (which you might really need) and many are just too flashy/busy for a map. Titles often accept more flourishes, but keep it clean for labels. The other big warning is that if you are using someone else's computer, you might not be able to install the fonts. Major bummer.


Here are a few other note-worthy font sites:
Urban Fonts: http://www.urbanfonts.com/
1001 Fonts: http://www.1001fonts.com/
Search Free Fonts: http://www.searchfreefonts.com/
If you have a favorite site you use, post a comment with a link. A longer list would be awesome....

Here is one (of a few websites) for typography enthusiasts: http://ilovetypography.com/

Info-graphic on serif vs san serif: http://visual.ly/serif-vs-sans-final-battlehttp://visual.ly/serif-vs-sans-final-battle

And a new graphic for helping you find what font to use: http://inspirationlab.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/infographiclarge_v2.png

Lastly..."What Type are You?" courtesy of Pentagram: http://www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you/

Monday, September 15, 2014

Reminder: Exam 1 on Tuesday

Just a friendly reminder that Exam 1 is this Tuesday, Sept 16th. A review sheet is on Blackboard (and read the post below about one additional bullet point). I will supply the paper -- you need a pencil, an eraser, and a calculator.

For those in the Tues/Thurs lab section, we will have lab after the exam. You may exit once you turn in your papers but come back at noon. Lab 2: Graticule is due on Thursday. We will have time to work on it during lab on Tuesday.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

One more thing for the Exam on Tuesday...

I'm working on Exam 1 and realized I forgot one bullet point on the review sheet. I want you to know the Spatial Arrangement graphic in the Symbolization lecture. It covers continuous/discrete vs. abrupt/smooth. Familiarize yourself with the axes and also what maps you get in the four corners of the graphic. They are the 4 major thematic map styles. 

Polyhedral Maps in Paper

My favorite site on Projections also has templates for crafting your own tangible paper earth. If you print one out, assemble it, and bring it into class I will give you 5 extra credit points. Slightly thicker paper might be easier...but with any of them you'll need scissors and a glue stick.

Scale

Scale is easy on general terms, but grasping relationships over large distances or at the nano level can be challenging. Today we are going to discuss scale, learn to calculate it for our maps and view visualizations.

Here are 12 unique ways to view scale: http://blog.visual.ly/12-visualizations-that-will-change-the-way-you-view-scale-in-your-world/

xkcd (again).

This page has a good explanation of calculating the three major types of map scale and switching between them. You will need to be able to do simple scale calculations and conversions for Tuesday's Exam 1.




Exam reminder

Tuesday 9-16 is the first exam of the semester. A review sheet can be found on Blackboard. The exam will be held during the lecture block (10:30-11:45). We *will* have lab time starting at noon (for the T/Th lab folks). Please bring a pencil, eraser, and calculator. A ruler will not be needed. I will provide all of the paper.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Illustrator in Exploratory Hall 2102

Illustrator is on the first 16 machines in the student GGS lab. If you use one of those computers, you should be able to print directly from Illustrator (after accepting the warning about a different software version). 


Saving Between Different Versions of Illustrator


We have the CC (Creative Cloud) in the classroom. The GGS student lab (2102) has CS6 (prior version). You can move from an older version to a newer at any point. But moving from new to old is not always easy. If you expect you'll be moving around, choose to save as a Legacy version. 

Legacy Formats -- Save As...  Give it a name and click Save, then it will bring up an Illustrator Options Panel where it is set to Illustrator CC. Pull down that top pull down window and you can specify CS6. 


Weekly blog post #2: Projection

We skipped last week...but that's ok! For this week, find a quality map example that showcases the projection or uses a unique projection to highlight the phenomenon being mapped. Any topic, any style. Post a copy of the map to your blog along with a link to the original webpage. Add a sentence or two explaining why you selected it. Aim to find one no one else has selected!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Projections

Nice video of myriahedral projections

My favorite site for information on map projections. Lots of graphics (ones that I did not show in class) and in-depth descriptions. Worth checking out: http://www.progonos.com/furuti/MapProj/Normal/TOC/cartTOC.html


Love this map! So much information but still clear. Many different projections: http://urbanomnibus.net/main/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/arcticmap.jpg

Nice explanations of major projections from the National Atlas site: http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/mapping/a_projections.html

Freeware program for creating map projections: Flex Projector http://www.flexprojector.com/ 

Map projections used to create a globe in a different medium: http://weblogs.java.net/blog/kohsuke/archive/2009/06/afterjavaone_pr.html

Just about anything can show the continents: http://kevinvanaelst.com/photoapple.html

Another xkcd comic

This has to be one of the geekiest comics out there.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Lab 1 notes

When saving your lab, I recommend two versions:
1. An .ai version which allows you to open your file in Illustrator and make changes/corrections. This is very important. You can also use the .ai version for printing if you have both Illustrator and a printer.
2. A .png (PNG-24) version. This version is for Blogger and can also be used for printing (when you do not have Illustrator on the computer). The PNG-24 option is available when you "Save for Web..." All of the defaults are fine.

The Lab 1 instructions say to save your blog version as a .jpg with Maximum quality, but the background of image is appearing as a faint gray. The PNG-24 version is retaining the crisp white background of the page just like in Illustrator.

New Geoid Map

2011 Geoid map of the Earth. Try the slider bar...

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Geodesy links

NOAA's Geodetic Mark Locator map.
National Geodetic Survey's videos on Datums.

Volcanic eruption imagery

Imagery, pictures and video of the volcanic eruption of Tavurvur volcano in Papua New Guinea. Began August 29, 2014.

Illustrator Panels and Tools

A good resource on Panels (Palettes) in Illustrator CC courtesy of PeachPit Press. Included is the following graphic detailing the Tool panel. Many of these tools have additional options which are accessed by clicking on the tiny black triangle in the corner of the tool's individual space.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Today's Lab (Tues Sept 2)

No lab today (for T/Th folks). We will start Lab 1 on Thursday. Prepare to attend every lab the remainder of the semester.

I am working on getting all of the student blogs attached to the class website (here!). Once those are up you can "follow" your classmates and any new content they post will appear on the Reading List on your Blogger dashboard (...and the dashboard is accessed by clicking on the orange letter B in upper left hand corner). Not a required step, but a handy one. We have 32 students so it is a simple way to keep up. I'll touch on it in lab this week.

Last Day to Add...

Please make sure you are officially enrolled in the classes you are attending. Today is the last day to Add!