Mapping GIS data

Entering and Storing data on GIS is OK,

but not much fun.
We want to look at the maps and see them
at a bunch of different scales!
sounds pretty easy, but be aware
When you print a map, the scale is fixed to
the paper;
When you view it on screen, It changes
depending on the level of magnification
In short, what looks good on screen may
not look good on paper and vice versa
 Map scales
• Typically shown on paper maps a
number of ways
– Fractional scale--> 1:24,000; 1:62,500, etc.
• Ratio of Map world to Real world in the same
units
– Bar scale--> a ruler that converts the map
distance to the real world distance

0 mi 0.125 0.25 0.375 0.5 0.66 1 mi

 Scales
• Large scale maps show Small areas and
• Small scale maps show Large areas
– Because they’re fractional representations of
the real world
1/24000 is a larger fraction than 1/62500
Thus the 1/24000 map shows a smaller area at
higher level of detail or resolution
 Map data
• Technically, stored data have no
scale
– They have x, y -coordinates
– They will get a scale when you view
them or print them
• Practically, data are collected at
some scale that best suits them.
– e.g.- a small scale map of the US that is
scanned or digitized is not useful for
making maps of larger scale data such
as county roads
Scale issues of original data
State boundary drawn to cover entire state was collected at
much smaller scale than voting district lines, each of which is
at a very large scale
 Issues with data

• Collect too much data and bogs down the

machine trying to display the data
• Too little data and there isn’t enough
accuracy
– that may significantly affect any interpretations
of the data
 Map Types
• Different demands require different types of maps
– Dependent on the data being used.
• Different maps can have many symbols, or only
one symbol.
– Depends on what you’re trying to show.
• Maps might use
– Nominal data- names or ID’s objects
– Categorical data- separates data into groups or classes
– Ordinal data- separates data based on quantitative rank
– Numerical data- data based on numbers with a standard
interval between them
A single symbol map
each pink shaded polygon is a state
Categorical Data

points lines polygons

 Nominal data
• Data identified or named by some type of
label
– Can be text or number
• Maps often have many objects, almost all of
which have points, lines and polygons that
are identified as some unique feature
– Points may be a city or house
– Lines may be rivers, faults, railroads, roads, etc.
– Polygons may be parks, states, counties,
countries, etc.
 Ordinal data
• Data are grouped by rank according to some
quantitative measure
– Cities may be small medium or large
– Students may earn A B C or D’s in class
– Soils may have I, II, III, IV infiltration

• The data must be represented by unique

values maps and colors must show or portray
an increasing sense of value
A geological map is a Unique Values Map based on
categorical data representing different formations, or other
geological units
 Numerical data
• Numbers that represent continuous phenomena that fall
along a regularly spaced interval
– Rainfall, elevations, populations, chemical concentrations, etc.
• Equal changes in the interval involve equal changes in the thing being
measured
• Ratio vs Interval numerical data
– Ratio measured with respect to some meaningful zero point
• Ex.- Rainfall; if zero, then no rain has fallen
• Can add, subtract, multiply and divide these data
– Interval measured against no meaningful zero point
• Ex.- Temperature in F or C scale; has a regular scale, but zero on the
thermometer does not mean a total lack of temperature.
• Any data that can have a negative value is Interval (e.g. elevation)
• Interval can only support addition and subtraction
 Symbols associated with numerical data
• Points and Lines typically arranged so that the
bigger the numerical attribute number, the larger the
point or the thicker the line
– Graduated Symbols- Points and lines are divided
into classes with a given range of values for each
class and a symbol unique to that class
• A classed map
– Proportional Symbols- numeric value is
proportional to the size of the symbol
• Creates what is referred to as an unclassed map
Classed map

Unclassed map
 Symbols associated with numerical data
• Polygons-numeric data are typically
represented by colors
– Can vary by hue, saturation or intensity
– Changes in rainfall are commonly represented
this way with each class a deeper shading of the
color (intensity) for that shape
 Graduated color maps or Choropleth maps

Two varieties of
precipitation maps using
color intensity
The top map uses a
monochromatic intensity
ramp to represent various
increasing amounts of
annual rainfall
The bottom is a two toned
color ramp of the same
data, with yellow = dryer
and green = wetter
 Normalized data
• Some features will have larger symbols due
to larger attribute values associated with
larger coverages or areas
– Larger counties will often have more farmland or
larger populations, but it will be spread out over
larger areas.
– Normalizing the population to area (people
divided by square miles) keeps the symbols from
being disproportionally larger and therefore
seemingly more important
Dot density maps can normalize the data by letting each
dot represent 1 million people.
the more dots, the more people in that state. Can
be arranged in specific locations in the state too
Chart maps
 Classifying (grouping) data
• Many methods for grouping numeric data
– Depends what you want to show
• Natural breaks (Jenks)- looks for gaps in data values
• Equal interval-equal size for the intervals
• Defined interval- range of values defined by user
• Quantile- same number of features in each class
– Class defined
• Geometric interval- each class multiplied by a
coefficient to create the next class
• Standard deviation- the statistical deviation from
normal of the data in any attribute field
• Manual (arbitrary) breaks- self explanatory
 Raster data
• Two types of rasters
– Thematic Raster and Image raster
• Thematic- 2 categories
– Discrete- coded values identify discrete regions
of similar values
• e.g., geology or land use
– Continuous- values change continuously from
one location to another
• e.g., elevation or precipitation
• Image- from satellites and photos
– Pixels are given lightness/darkness values from
0-255 with 0 being black and 255 being white
 Discrete raster
• Best using Unique Values classification
– Each value receives a color
• Geology map example on next slide

Continuous raster
• Classified
– Values divided into classes and classes are given colors
• Elevation map example on next slide
• Stretched
– Values are scaled to one of 256 color shades
• Elevation map c) on next slide
 a) Thematic raster discrete
unique values- geology

b) Thematic raster continuous

classified values- elevation
c) Thematic raster continuous
stretched elevation
 Image raster
• Stretched vs Composite
– Stretched - applied to single bandwidth images
• i.e., grayscale images
• Uses same as the stretched process does in the
thematic raster continuous data values
– Assumes normally distributed pixel data

• Composite uses RGB color bandwidths

– Varies values from 0 to 255 per bandwidth
• 255 R with low G and B -makes red
• 255 R and G with low B - makes yellow
• Each bandwidth may be stretched as well
Stretching the values on a single band image
- a one std dev stretch
b) Stretched by one std dev. c) same image not stretched
Stretched green bandwidth RGB composite