Data Classification of the Miami-Dade County Senior Citizen Population

This lab exercise challenged us with the task of analyzing the senior citizen population of Miam-Dade County, FL using four different classification methods (Natural Breaks, Quantile, Equal Interval, and Standard Deviation).  We first analyzed the data based on the population percentage of senior citizens per census tract, and then again as a measure of population density per square mile per census tract.  Our objective was to determine the best classification method and type of data (percentage or density) to identify the population distribution within the county. 

The best way to analyze the data in terms of actual numbers on the ground is using population density per square mile.  This method gives you an accurate idea of where senior citizens are concentrated so that you may allocate your resources in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible.  Analyzing by percentage population gives a false sense of where the largest number of senior citizens actually resides.  As such I have included the maps that break down the population by density per square mile.  

The best classification schemes for understanding the actual distribution of senior citizens are Natural Breaks and Quantile.  Depending on the county's resources and management objectives, you may use either Quantile or Natural Breaks to effectively achieve the county's goals.  They both give a decent idea of where the greatest concentration of senior citizens reside and if the goals were spelled out clearly, the data breaks could be set manually for a potentially more focused map of density per census tract.  For this exercise, I found the most useful to be Quantile and Natural Breaks, but all four are useful in gaining a more thorough understanding of the population distribution of senior citizens. 

Below is the percentage distribution for reference purposes:

Cartographic Design

The assignment for this learning module was to design a map that highlights the schools (elementary through high school) of Ward 7 in Washington, D.C.  We were to incorporate Gestalt's Principles of Cartographic Design including: Visual Hierarchy, Contrast, Figure Ground, and Balance. 

I created this map in ArcGIS Pro.  I used no outside software, but was able to find all the tools I needed within the ArcGIS software.  I can see the value of creating a base map and exporting to Adobe Illustrator to fine tune and expand design possibilities, but for this project it did not seem necessary.  One thing I have noticed with the jpg format is that the neat line does not show up as it should when importing to this blog or other non-print formats.  It would have if I chose a different color of exterior border, but I have not found any to be as aesthetically pleasing as white, so that is why a neat line isn't obvious on this image.  It is there, however, and was on the previous lab as well.  It just isn't obvious when not in print format.  I used the basic tools available in the layout frame within ArcGIS Pro.

I implemented visual hierarchy by having large thematic symbols with size based on the type of school. I also made the title large enough to span the entire page. I subsequently made things of lesser importance to the objective less prominent on the map.

I achieved contrast with a 2 color scheme foundation for the main portions of my map and a third color to indicate the schools. This third color of the schools also pops out a bit from the main two-color scheme.

I established figure ground relationship by creating darker surroundings outside of Ward 7. I then made Ward 7 white so it would pop, and then created red symbols within the light background and black ring to further draw the attention to those symbols.

I incorporated balance by flooding the area outside of Washington, D.C. on my main map with a single color and creating that same background on the inset map, which is positioned on the left hand side, so you get two heavy doses of green on either side of the map. I also achieved balance by selectively labeling neighborhoods that were not right near one another or near clusters of schools (as best as possible). I felt that if I labeled the wrong neighborhoods, it would create weird bunches and clumps and not feel evenly distributed around the map. I also chose to leave the upper right area of the map free of any symbols or information. While this may seem to contrast with the idea of balance, every time I experimented with filling that space it actually appeared to distract and make the map appear busy and cluttered. This was a conscious decision and one that I believe helped to achieve a more aesthetically pleasing map.

The typography lab of Module 2 had us focusing on creating a simple map and labeling that map using cartographic principles as they relate to typography.  We started by downloading a counties map of Florida into ArcGIS Pro and sending that to the web.  We then integrated our web map into Adobe Illustrator and subsequently used that software package to color and label the map.  I used the draw, text box, symbol creator, and box tools primarily for the creation of this map. This experience with Illustrator has made me excited to expand upon the tools available and create better maps in the future.

Three modifications I mad to the map are:

1) I made a border around the islands.  Primarily because I thought it looked interesting.  I actually wanted to create a sort of halo, but was not having very much success as this is my first time using illustrator.

       2) I added symbols for the airport and the State Park. I wanted to find a simple way to add symbols that seemed coherent to the task at hand.  I found some simple symbols that helped me achieve my goals and provided additional visual aids. 

          3) I changed the background color to blue to represent water and the island color to green to represent land.  Rather simple things, but as I get better with illustrator I believe I will be able to increase the complexity and beauty of my maps.

My initial impressions with Illustrator are that it allows endless possibilities for customization and the ability to be extremely detailed with maps.  It also feels like a tool that was made for drawing and is being applied to maps as opposed to a map making tool that allows you to draw.  When compared to ArcGIS Pro, the map making is much more cumbersome and less intuitive in general.  The scale bar, for instance, is a plug and play tool in ArcGIS, but in Illustrator it is manually drawn without automatic scale resizing.  One couldn't help but wonder how this was helpful in drawing maps, other than it allows you to get as creative with the scale bar as you would like to. The tools available in ArcGIS and the simplicity with which one can access them makes it obvious that ArcGIS is geared more toward making maps and less toward creative illustrations.  I think the experienced Illustrator user would be able to utilize more options with ease and create nice looking maps exclusively in Illustrator.  But for general map making in a world that demands a combination of efficiency and beauty, Illustrator seems to be several steps behind ArcGIS.  The power is there, however, to create detailed and beautiful maps.

GIS and Me

My name is Reed Welke, and I joined the University of West Florida in hopes of attaining a Master of Science degree in GIS Administration.  I work for a flooring company based out of Charlotte, NC and Live in an RV with my wife and two dogs.  You can view my story map http://arcg.is/TD1rj  for a brief look at our life on the road.

I have worked with GIS in previous jobs related to natural resources management and have felt ever since that GIS is one of the most powerful and innovative data management tools available.  I joined the program to take my GIS skills to the next level and I hope to get back in a field of resources management or public service where I can utilize those skills for the benefit of the state and community where I reside.

In my free time I enjoy nature and travelling, and I listen to lots of music.  I appreciate most any IPA from the breweries I may encounter.

Map Evaluations

In this exercise, we selected one well-designed map and one poorly designed map to evaluate for effectiveness.  We had a list of questions that helped guide our critical thinking and evaluation process.  Below are the two maps I selected along with their subsequent evaluations.

Map Evaluation: Well-designed Map #1

Answer the following questions for the well-designed map:

General

▪        What is the purpose (substantive objective) of the map? The purpose of the above map is to illustrate the wildlife management zones in the state of South Carolina.

▪        What is the “look and feel” (affective objective) of the map? The map is intended to be simple, but informative.

▪        Who is the intended audience for the map (include expected educational level)? This map is intended for wildlife management specialists in the state of South Carolina to help inform the general public about how they distribute management politically.

Cartographic Design

▪        Is there appropriate visual emphasis on important themes? Yes.

▪        Is the symbology for qualitative and quantitative data effectively applied? Yes.

▪        Do the colors and symbols support the substantive and affective objectives? Yes.

▪        Are the symbols and labels legible? Yes.

▪        Are the symbols intuitive and easy to decipher or do they have good explanation? They are easy to decipher in terms of looks, but they do not indicate what each management zone means.  This is why I believe the map is intended for professionals who are aware of the differences in management zones.

▪        Is there appropriate use of graphics, images, text blocks, or other supporting information? Yes.

Map Elements & Page layout

▪        Does the page look balanced—are the map and map elements aligned to the page and to each other? It does, but the elements are not perfectly aligned. Not bad, but they could be better in my opinion.

▪        Do all the map elements support the substantive and affective objectives? Yes.

▪        Are the map elements placed logically on the page? Yes.

▪        Does the map have appropriate borders? Yes.

▪        Scale

Is the scale (map extent) appropriate to the map? Yes.

Is the scale bar appropriately designed, positioned and sized? Yes.

Are the scale units logical? Yes.

▪        Legend

Have all the necessary symbols and details been included in the legend as they appear on the map (size, color, etc)? Not exactly.  The labels are numbers only and the legend has explanations along with numbers.  In my opinion, this could have been better coordinated with something like “Zone 6” for both the key and the label.  The title gives a clear explanation that is enough to determine what that would mean.

Is there a logical structure related to the function of the legend? Yes.

Are the legend labels logical? Yes.

▪        Titles and Subtitles

Are the titles and/or subtitles present and suitably descriptive (area mapped, subject, date, etc)? Yes.

Are the titles and/or subtitles suitably positioned and sized? Yes.

Map Evaluation: Poorly-designed map #1

Answer the following questions for the poorly-designed map:

General

▪        What is the purpose (substantive objective) of the map? The purpose is to show bus routes somewhere.  Very hard to tell where unless you are familiar with the area.

▪        What is the “look and feel” (affective objective) of the map? The look is jumbled and it feels very busy and scattered.  I believe it is meant to be serious though.

▪        Who is the intended audience for the map (include expected educational level)? The intended audience appears to be the general public.

Cartographic Design

▪        Is there appropriate visual emphasis on important themes? No. Too busy.

▪        Is the symbology for qualitative and quantitative data effectively applied? No.

▪        Do the colors and symbols support the substantive and affective objectives? No.

▪        Are the symbols and labels legible? No.

▪        Are the symbols intuitive and easy to decipher or do they have good explanation? No.

▪        Is there appropriate use of graphics, images, text blocks, or other supporting information? No.

Map Elements & Page layout

▪        Does the page look balanced—are the map and map elements aligned to the page and to each other? No.

▪        Do all the map elements support the substantive and affective objectives? No.

▪        Are the map elements placed logically on the page? No.

▪        Does the map have appropriate borders? No.

▪        Scale

Is the scale (map extent) appropriate to the map? Perhaps, if you could tell what it was trying to convey.

Is the scale bar appropriately designed, positioned and sized? No scale bar.

Are the scale units logical? No.

▪        Legend

Have all the necessary symbols and details been included in the legend as they appear on the map (size, color, etc)? I think so, but very hard to tell.

Is there a logical structure related to the function of the legend?  Quite possibly, but clarification is lacking to the point that logic does not really apply, even if present.

Are the legend labels logical? Again, it is possible, but it’s busy and small to discern properly.

▪        Titles and Subtitles

Are the titles and/or subtitles present and suitably descriptive (area mapped, subject, date, etc)? No.

Are the titles and/or subtitles suitably positioned and sized? No.