Cartography Module 1: Map Critique

 Cartography Module 1: Map Critique

This assignment allowed me the opportunity to critique two maps based on their design aesthetics. One map was one I felt was well designed and the other was poorly designed.  One of the big takeaways from this project is the importance of labeling a map. I'm a big advocate for overcommunicating information in a reasonable manner. Making sure your maps can be understood by their intended audience is so important. The poorly designed map I showcased was probably just an example of a map with data input and left alone. I'm sure it had the potential to relay some important information. Making sure your map is labeled properly and can be understood is essential. Cartography is about sharing details about the world around you and in order to be successful, you need to communicate intention and reason. Below is the critique I offered and the maps that correspond. Enjoy! 

Map Evaluation

Well-Designed Map

Answer the following questions for the well-designed map:

General

• What is the purpose (substantive objective) of the map?

• The purpose of the map is to convey the ancestry with the largest populations at the county level for all fifty United States and Puerto Rico. The map used county boundaries to show the population distribution. 

• What is the “look and feel” (affective objective) of the map?

• The look of the map showcases the ancestry distribution at the county level, making it easy to see trends within the map. There are very few outliers and using the county data makes the data more compelling than just using the state-level distribution. The colors also are easy to determine on the map and the key makes it easy to match the colors and the ancestry that corresponds with it. 

• Who is the intended audience for the map (include expected educational level)?

• I believe this map would be used by an anthropologist or archeologist researching population distribution in the United States. I would say anyone from a high school level to a doctoral student could use this map for research. 

Cartographic Design

• Is there an appropriate visual emphasis on important themes?

• The visual emphasis is on the colors used to show the distribution of ancestry populations across the U.S. 

• Is the symbology for qualitative and quantitative data effectively applied?

• The symbology of the map is qualitative and is effectively applied using colors and county data. It’s easy to determine the majority of ancestral populations for each county.

• Do the colors and symbols support the substantive and affective objectives?

• The colors support the substantive goal by easily showcasing where populations are and what each color represents. The affective objective is to showcase the diverse populations that reside within the U.S.

• Are the symbols and labels legible?

• Yes, the legend shows what colors represent ancestry. All the labels are big enough to read and easy to interpret. 

• Are the symbols intuitive and easy to decipher or do they have good explanation?

• I will say the contrast between the colors made the map easy to read and interpret. The main takeaway is the groupings show trends and migrations of human populations. 

• Is there appropriate use of graphics, images, text blocks, or other supporting information?

• The graphics were dispersed in a way that makes the map look clean and uncluttered. There are also projections of Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The legend is kept to the right side of the map and is well organized. The cartographer also included a smaller, separate map at the top right giving ancestry data, by state. The title is large and easy to read. The citations are neatly placed in areas that don’t cover the data. 

Map Elements & Page layout

• Does the page look balanced—are the map and map elements aligned to the page and to each other? 

• The page in my opinion is well-balanced. The map elements are placed in strategic locations throughout the page and there is no clutter. 

• Do all the map elements support the substantive and affective objectives?

• Yes, I can see this map being used for research purposes as well as informative ones. 

• Are the map elements placed logically on the page?

• Yes, the page has great distribution and the location of elements makes sense. I believe anyone could look at this map and understand the data.

• Does the map have appropriate borders?

• Yes, the map includes not just U.S. state borders, but county borders and country borders as well. 

• Scale

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

1. The scale of the map is one aspect I did not find appealing. The bar is too small for the map. Though the scale bar plays a very small role in the map, to begin with. 

Is the scale bar appropriately designed, positioned and sized?

1. I will say the scale bar is in a good location, but I believe it’s too small for the map. If I were to design the map I would have made them larger. 

Are the scale units logical?

1. The units don’t feel like they play enough of a role in this particular map to make much of a difference. Each scale only showcases one distance. There are 4 scales total on the map. The scale on the Puerto Rico projection does give you a sense of how small the island is. 

• Legend

Have all the necessary symbols and details been included in the legend as they appear on the map (size, color, etc)? 

1. The legend has every ancestry next to the appropriate color on the map. It’s labeled clearly and easy to read and comprehend. There is also a section in the legend showing smaller subgroups and giving the ancestry and where they are located. 

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

1. Yes, colors show what ancestry they coincide with. The legend also has the ancestries in alphabetical order. There isn’t clutter in the legend to cause confusion. 

Are the legend labels logical?

1. Yes, the order of the legend labels is logical. I could see a map like this in a publication like National Geographic. Easy to read so it wouldn't require a skilled cartographer to interpret the labels and locations. 

• Titles and Subtitles

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

1. I would say the actual title could have been more descriptive. I would have titled the map “Most Common U.S. Ancestries”. The map is also missing a date and attribution for the author. There are citations for the origin of the data. 

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

1. The title is a suitable size and position at the top of the page. The subtitles are also a good size and very easy to read. The subtitles are in locations close to the data they represent. 

Poorly-Designed Map

Answer the following questions for the poorly-designed map:

General

• What is the purpose (substantive objective) of the map?

• It’s hard to determine the objective of the map. There is no title, subtitles no legend, or data citations. If I was to guess of past experience this map showcases oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. The map looks incomplete. 

• What is the “look and feel” (affective objective) of the map?

• The map is grainy and the locations are hard to read. I only know where it is because I know the geographical area personally. There are no labels for the data, so the objective is unclear.

• Who is the intended audience for the map (include expected educational level)?

• The intended audience is unclear. There is little to no information to make that determination. I can’t say what grade level this map could be used for, but it looks like a Kindergarten student could make a better map.

Cartographic Design

• Is there an appropriate visual emphasis on important themes?

• No. The only determining emphasis is this is a map dealing with locations in the Gulf of Mexico. 

• Is the symbology for qualitative and quantitative data effectively applied?

• I’m assuming this map would support a quantitative approach. But there is still little to no data to back up this assumption.

• Do the colors and symbols support the substantive and affective objectives?

• Too little data to determine if there is an objective at all. 

• Are the symbols and labels legible?

• The symbols are all bunched together and the map itself is extremely grainy. Nothing is legible. 

• Are the symbols intuitive and easy to decipher or do they have a good explanations?

• There is nothing on this map showcasing what the symbols represent. 

• Is there appropriate use of graphics, images, text blocks, or other supporting information?

• I would say that even if there were explanations for the data, it’s too busy on the map to be able to read anything. 

Map Elements & Page layout

• Does the page look balanced—are the map and map elements aligned to the page and to each other? 

• There is absolutely no balance here. The data is too bunched together. It could be better to create a collection of maps to zoom in on the data. 

• Do all the map elements support the substantive and affective objectives?

• No. There are no substantive or affective objectives here. 

• Are the map elements placed logically on the page?

• There is no logic behind the placement here. The data has no labels so their placement is extremely random and unorganized.

• Does the map have appropriate borders?

• The borders do appear to be in the right location. But the quality of the map is so grainy its hard to know for certain where the borders are. 

• Scale

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

1. There is no scale on the map. One of many elements missing. 

Is the scale bar appropriately designed, positioned and sized?

1. No scale bar is located on the map. But if I were to put one in, I would put it in the southwest corner of the map. There seems to be plenty of open room there. 

Are the scale units logical?

1. No scale bar. But if I were to put one in, I would do one with the extent of 200 miles and interval ticks of 50 miles. 

• Legend

Have all the necessary symbols and details been included in the legend as they appear on the map (size, color, etc)? 

1. This map is lacking a legend. It would certainly help if it at least had a legend. If a legend were present then the objects or purpose of the map would be clear. 

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

1. No legend present. If I were to put in a legend it would be in the southeast corner of the map.

Are the legend labels logical?

1. No map labels are present. Would have been nice to have since I can’t tell exactly what data this map is displaying and I really want to know what’s filling the Gulf. 

• Titles and Subtitles

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

1. No title, subtitles, or descriptions are present. This map is also missing attribution, date, and who created the map. 

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

1. No titles or subtitles are present on the map.