Cartographic Animation

Cartographic Animation is a dynamic map that uses animation to present concepts of time or movement across a geographic area. They may show changes to a specific area, such as development, over a specific time, or movement across geography, as an animated map of traffic patterns would show. One of the first examples of modern Cartographic Animation is one from 1939 made by Disney Studios using traditional cel animation, showing the German Army’s march and encirclement of Warsaw, Poland. Today, all the techniques of animation can be utilized to create maps, though most are produced with computer animation software, and there is an increasing level of interaction available to the end user. The map above is a times-series cartographic animation that shows urban growth in the Baltimore-Washington Dc corridor over a period of 200 years.

Statistical Map

A Statistical Map is one which uses distribution data to present statistical information. Three of the most common types of Statistical Maps are dot maps, point symbol maps and choropleth maps. Because the cartographer has to make important decisions about how to group and generalize the data behind the map, Statistical Maps are subject to manipulation. There is a propensity to make the data fit the needs of the mapmaker. A famous Statistical graph/map is Minard’s that depicts the army of Napoleon’s march into and out of Russia, which combines a flow map with data on mortality of the ranks and average temperature among others. This map is considered exemplary by Tufte in his work on effective presentation of data. The accompanying map is a statistical map that represents demographic population distribution in America, where the peaks represent high population density.

Cartogram

A Cartogram is a map that uses other data besides geographical area to determine the map’s relationships. A common Cartogram presents global population size by depicting the respective sizes of each country in proportion to their populations, so that countries like India are very large and Canada relatively small. Travel time over distances can also be communicated by Cartogram. The Cartogram above shows US population, as well as voting trends in the 2004 presidential elections. A standard map would appear to be predominantly red, signifying a significant majority Republican won states, but when seen through a population Cartogram, the colors show a more balanced result.

Flow Map

A Flow Map describes movement across geography. Migration of people or movement of goods are often presented using this kind of map. Flow of automobile or pedestrian traffic can also be effectively shown using Flow Maps. The accompanying map shows the top ten states that provide immigration and the relative flow of that movement to California and New York.

Isoline Map

An isoline map is a map with continuous lines that enclose areas of equal value. Examples of isoline maps include contour maps which use lines to communicate altitude, isotherm maps which connect points with equal temperature, Isobar maps, such as the one above of Australia which lines connect equal barometric pressure, and others like isotachs for wind speed.

Proportional Circle Map

A proportional circle map is similar to a choropleth map, but uses circles scaled to the data being communicated for a geographic area. They are commonly used in newspapers and other media to communicate statistical information using scaled circles. The proportional circle map above maps urban population size in the upper midwestern US, where the two largest circles represent the population of the cities of Chicago and Detroit.

Choropleth Map

A Choropleth Map is a Thematic map that uses color or shading to represent statistical information. These maps are often used to show various aspects of population such as income or race distribution, or political statistics such as voting or party distribution. The map above represents statistical data on lower income population in Northern New England as compared the average income in the US.

Dot Distribution Map

A Dot Distribution Map is a form of Thematic Map that uses dots to indicate distribution or 0ccurance, such as population density. This map uses the distribution of dots to map the total Hispanic population of Los Angeles.

Bathymetric Map

A Bathymetric Map is a kind of Hypsometric Map that uses tints, usually of blue, to indicate the varying depths of a body of water. The accompanying map was one of the earliest made of an oceanic basin, developed from 3,000 soundings taken between 1873 and 1875 in the Gulf of Mexico.

Propaganda Map

Maps can be manipulated in a variety of ways for propaganda purposes, both in times of war and of peace. The map above is from a French magazine printed early during WWI, and is of the dystopian kind, predicting what Europe will look like if Germany wins the ensuing power struggle. The mapmaker wished to both frighten and motivate the French citizenry.

Hypsometric Map

A Hypsometric Map is one that represents elevation through the standardized use of tints. For example, maps often indicate low elevations with dark green, middle elevations with yellow and orange, and high elevations with gray and white. The map above represents the elevation of Isfahan Province in the Middle East, along with an accompanying legend describing the elevation range. The dark green to the north shows an area of low elevation, the gray and white line running from northwest of the province to the south shows very high elevation.

PLSS Map

The Public Land Survey System is a manner of dividing and describing US public domain lands through a series of rectangular grid surveys, according to standards set by the Bureau of Land Management. PLSS maps are usually divided into 6 mile square townships, which are then sub-divided into 36 one mile squares. The example of a PLSS map above shows where the three corners of Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas meet, and what can happen due to the history of the surveys and the manner in which they are established using baselines and Principal Meridians.

Cadastral Map

A Cadastral Map shows land ownership by representing the boundardies between parcels. The maps can additionally contain information on plot, section and lot numbers. This example of a Cadastral Map is of a Dutch island made in the Nineteenth Century. The table that identifies the ownership of the plots accompanied the map.

Planimetric Map

A Planimetric Map shows geographic features including roads, buildings and land masses without signifying relief. The view is vertically from above, with no height or depth to the terrain. The accompanying example is of Lubbock, TX.

Thematic Map

A Thematic Map focusses on specific data to communicate information. Themes can be distributions like those of wealth, disease, weather and population. The example presented above shows areas of South Florida most significantly affected by Water Shortage Rules in 2007. The information in Thematic Maps may be related to a specific time or period, as in this example.

Topographic Map

A Topographic Map represents the physical characteristics of an area, including height and depth, through use of conventional shading to represent relief, or more accurately through the use of lines representing specific distances depending on their spacing. More closely spaced lines mean a steeper gradient, while widely spaced lines shown a flatter geographical area. The accompanying example of a topographical map of a section of the Swiss Alps, combines both contour lines and symbolic shading.

Mental Map 2

Guy Debord's famous Psychogeographical map of Paris is another Mental Map, in that it idenfies areas of the city that are felt to be cohesive, and indicates how one moves from one to the other.

Mental Map

This cover Illustration from the New Yorker magazine is a humorous example of a Mental Map. Mental Maps are maps that individuals create in their minds, and sometimes commit to paper, that represents their understanding and perception of a specific geographical area. Those areas that are most familiar, such as the neighborhood they live in, will be more detailed than other areas less frequented. In Saul Steinberg's Mental Map, the local geography heading west is very detailed until the Hudson River is crossed. At that point the geography, and scale is rather less accurate.