Transcript Which map
ESPON 2013 DATABASE Malmö Seminar, 2-3 December 2009 What is a good map? Christine Zanin and Nicolas Lambert UMR Géographie-cités – UMS RIATE Just Ugly or Bad and Good? Source : Espon DataBase 2013, Technical report Mapping guide, 2009 Maps are never value-free images There is not a good or a bad map There is a map that express a message Maps gain their value in three ways: • As a way of recording and storing information • As a means of analyzing locational distributions and spatial patterns • As a method of presenting information and communicating findings Cartography as Communication • Cartography is closely related to graphical communication • Maps are symbolic abstractions-"generalizations" or "representations“ of reality What Is an efficient Map? • What is the motive, intent, or goal of the map? • Who will read the map? • Where will the map be used? • What data is available for the composition of the map? Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at NUTS 0 level (ratio) = International disparities 4 Wealthy countries Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark and Ireland Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at NUTS 2/3 level (ratio) = Regional disparities Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP at NUTS 0 level (stock) = International disparities 4 Wealthy countries Germany, UK, France, Italy Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP at NUTS 1 level (stock) = Economic weight of regions Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP at NUTS 2 level (stock) = Economic weight of regions Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP at NUTS 2/3 level (stock) = Economic weight of regions Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP at NUTS 3 level (stock) = Economic weight of regions Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at NUTS 0 level (stock+ratio) = Put in perspective the level of wealth per capita by showing what is the importance of concerned population Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at NUTS 1 level (Discontinuites) = Disparites between Est and West Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at 40km (Grid) = Eliminate influence of administrative divisions Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at 40km (Potential) = Visualisation of Economic concentrations Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at 80km (Potential) = Visualisation of Economic concentrations Source : AIRE project 2009 Which map ? Which message ? GDP per capita at NUTS 2 level (Anamorphosis) = Spot more easily populated and rich regions as Ile-de-France or populated and poor as Sicily. Source : AIRE project 2009 Source : Mapping territorial cohesion, French presidency of the EU, 2008 One or two maps ? Source : Espon DataBase 2013, Technical report Mapping guide, 2009 Maps are a tool of communication for ESPON DB 2013 • The biggest strength of maps is to allow an effective and relevant communication of the information. • The first question when mapping is related to a question of choices: how to simplify, generalize, represent and symbolize spatial relationships? 7 fundamental goals need to be identified to realize a good map: • Identify the goal of the map; • Identify the audience of the map and where it will be used; • Identify the information to be communicated; • Identify the geographical reference (point, line or area?); • Choose the base map (map projection and scale); • Choose the visual variable (symbolic graphic language); • Choose layout and identify all the elements to be added Thank you for your attention !