Cartography Basics - Mount St. Helens

Spatial Analysis

1. How many counties does the State of Iowa contain?
-Iowa contains 99 counties.

2. Which county in Georgia contains the largest number of people, as of the year 2001?
-The county of Fulton in the state of Georgia contains the largest population as of 2001.

3. How many cities, with populations greater than 15,000, are located within the State of Washington?
-Washington has 39 cities that have a population greater than 15,000 people.

4. How many miles long are all of the interstates that are crossed by the outline of Los Angeles County?
-There are 3,851.13751 miles of interstate that are crossed by the outline of L.A. County.

5. Simplify the UrbanBoundaries feature class so that only the urban areas of Los Angeles County are visible (Hint: you will use one of the overlay functions: clip, intersect, or union). Include a screenshot of this new layer in your blog. How many acres of urban area lie within Los Angeles County?


-There are 1,367,445.89 acres of urban area that lie within the boundaries of Los Angeles County.

6. How many zip codes have their centroid in Los Angeles County?
-There are 522 zip codes that have their centroid in Los Angeles County.

7. Create a layer displaying the provinces of Canada using the data provided to you in the Canada dataset. Save this new layer under the Canada dataset using the name Provinces. Include a screenshot of this new layer in your blog.



8. Which Native American Indian Reservations lie within 75 miles of the City of Thurso in Quebec, Canada?
-There are 5 Native American Indian Reservations that lie within 75 miles of Thurso:
Doncaster Indian Reserve 17
Kitigan Zibi Indian Reserve
Kahnawake Indian Reserve 14
Kanesatake Indian Reserve 16
Akwesane Indian Reserve 15

Census Maps

The above map represents the black population in U.S. counties with the darker shades of green representing more concentrated areas. The southeastern United States clearly shows the highest concentrations in Black population for the 200o Census, with data collected in 1999. The states of Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina seem to have the most counties with 46.68% - 86.49% of the total population self-reported as Black. Many counties in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee had a self-reported Black population of 24.57% - 46.33%, with the rest of the U.S. having significantly lower populations. There are only 4 tiers of color, which is enough to give an overall idea of where the concentrations are. Another tier of color would give a bit more specificity and allow us to further see the trends in population densities.

Data for the above map of self-reported Asian population in the U.S. was also taken for the 2000 Census. It shows the highest concentrations in dark purple, and lower concentrations with lighter shades. California and Hawaii have the most counties with an Asian population of 17.57% - 46.04%, with other states on the west coast following closely behind. This data could be more telling if there was another level of color. The darkest states could have 17.57% Asian population, but could just as well be 46.04% Asian. It is a large difference in population to be covered by a single tier. An added level would be able to illustrate the percentages better. The New York/New Jersey area also had higher Asian concentrations than that surrounding counties. There are lower concentrations of Asians, in comparison to Blacks because in the 2000 census they had a lower total population.

This last map illustrates "some other race" population by percentage for the 2000 Census. Given that the Census does not offer a "Hispanic" or "Latino" option to self-report, and given the areas that show the most dense populations of "some other race," one can infer that the data is reporting the majority of the Hispanic population of the U.S. Anyone who does not identify with any of the other options to choose from can self-report as "some other race," so it also includes people that identify themselves as something other than Hispanic. The highest concentrations occurred in the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas - with the most counties in the 10.08% - 20.87% and 20.88% - 30.08% tiers. These are all states that share a boundary with Mexico, which gives some more indication of who "some other race" may be. There are also denser concentrations in the northwest (western U.S. in general), Florida, and the New York area.

These maps serve as an overview of the different racial groups in the U.S. during the 2000 Census in comparison to total population. It is difficult to compare them to one another, because the 4 tiers on each map are broken differently. Had they all been set to the same breaks, the maps would be able to serve as a comparison of the different racial groups in relation to one another. The information we have about each racial group is also limited given the large percentage that each tier represents. It would be interesting to have data from the 2010 Census to contrast this data with. It would not only give us a snapshot of a certain time, but show trends in population changes and internal immigration. This map series, I feel, is good for giving us a basic knowledge of the racial concentrations from the 2000 Census, but does not allow for more detailed questions to be answered about the subject. This lab was the first one that allowed us to create a map from data that we ourselves had to find and input into the ArcMap software. It is very useful to know now how to use the GIS software from the very beginning of the creation process. Although I know this is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the complexity of the projects that ArcGIS can undertake, I now feel more confident in my ability to find my own data and use it in the map making process.

ArcMap Projections

Above: Conformal World Map Projections illustrating distance from Washington D.C. to Kabul.


Above: Equal-Area World Map Projections illustrating distance from Washington D.C. to Kabul.




Above: Equidistant World Map Projections illustrating distance from Washington D.C. to Kabul.

Map projections help us represent 3-dimensional objects on to a planar surface. Being able to represent the Earth, which is a sphere, without any distortion at any level is impossible. Map projections allow for the most appropriate representation of the Earth, depending on the specific needs of the location information the map is trying to portray. Conformal projections are made to preserve angles - shape is preserved locally and meridians and parallels intersect at right angles; equal-area maps preserve area - mapped areas have the same proportional relationship to the areas on the Earth that they represent; and equidistant maps preserve distances.

There is no single map projection that can represent the Earth without any distortion. The reason there are so many different projections is to illustrate location for different purposes. A conformal map, such as the Mercator Projection shown above, would not be used to appropriately illustrate the distance from Washington D.C. to Kabul, Afghanistan. A more appropriate map to more accurately illustrate the actual distance would be an Equidistant map, such as the Equidistant Conic Projection, also shown above. Each projection is made to be appropriate for different uses, so it is important to use a projection that is accurate for the purpose of the map.

The two Conformal Projections I used above are Gall Stereographic and Mercator, which are commonly used for navigation. They represent the Earth with constant lines, that intersect at 90 degree angles, therefore direction is easier to follow. Mercator projection distorts the size and shape of objects and the scale increases from the equator to the poles. This causes the land masses at the poles to look much bigger than the land masses closer to the equator. The Equal Area Projections that I used are the Bonne and Sinusoidal Projections. These two preserve areal relationships of the different land masses. The real life ratios are maintained and illustrated as they are on Earth. Distance and shape are compromised, and significant distortion occurs in these two areas. The last two maps are Equidistant, Plate Carree and Equidistant Conic Projections. These maps are good for measuring distances accurately in relation to real life distances on Earth.

The approximate distance from D.C. to Kabul was measure for each map, and the one that came closest to the actual distance was the Equidistant Conic Projection. It is important to use projections that will most accurately represent the property that is being studied. If the wrong projection is used, shape, distance, angles, and area can be miscalculated.

Above: Exercises 1-5 on ArcGIS Tutorial

Had it not been for the very detailed step by step instructions on on the tutorial for the ArcGIS Software, I am certain I would have been lost. I have always considered myself to be a computer savvy person, but after this tutorial I realize I still have MUCH to learn. Organization is probably the most important element in this process, as a lack of organization can have its consequences. I ran into one little set back strictly because I was not as organized as I should have been with my folders from the very beginning. This being something completely new for me, I realize the only way to really become comfortable with the software is through a process of trial and error. Making mistakes, and leaning how to fix them has always been the best way for me to learn. I have so far only gone though the tutorial one time, and I plan on spending a lot more time the next few times I go through it and playing around with the different features a but more.

It took me a couple of hours just to figure out how to use the remote access and work on the UCLA network from home. Just the fact that I was able to remotely access the computers in the UCLA labs from so far away amazed me. The fact that you can only access the computers after hours really put some time constraints on me, which was somewhat frustrating because I couldn't get things done when I had time to do them during the day. I guess the luxury of having such an advanced technology at your fingertips has to have certain drawbacks, and for me this was one.

Prior to this tutorial, I knew absolutely nothing about ArcGIS and did not realize how very helpful in solving real-life problems programs like this one are. It was really interesting to see the process first hand, and to have a hands on introduction to the software. It was very quick and easy when being guided through the steps, especially because the information we were working with was so easily at our disposal. There will not be many instances, I am sure, where the data to take on a project such as noise levels in airport expansion will be so readily available. The real test will come when I have to start from scratch.

Overall, it was exciting to have this introduction into using the Arc GIS software. Obviously I feel more comfortable using the software after the tutorial than before because I had no prior knowledge about it. It is without a doubt complex, and I will need to continue referring back to what I learned in these 5 exercises for future reference.

My Google Map - Sevilla, Spain

View Places to go in Seville, Spain in a larger map

Now that we are in an era of neogeography we have to be much more careful about the information that is out there than we did in the past. Whereas in past times the only information you would be able to find on the web came from credible sources that had knowledge about and access to the technologies that are responsible for the creation of mapping, with neogeography the source of the information can come from anywhere. The increasing number of resources and tools of creation make it possible for anyone with a basic knowledge of mapping to make their own creations. It makes it easy and convenient to map places, and share locations through different media than ever before. This is most definitely step forward, but does carry along with it certain pitfalls that must be taken into account, such as credibility. As with any other form of expression, maps can be subjective and are all created differently. It is important to know who posted the information that you are looking at before taking it as fact.

Apart from the issue of credibility, there are countless positive factors that come along with Neogeography. The fact that technologies, resources, and tools can be so easily accessed by so many people is a huge step forward. You no longer have to hold an advanced degree just to be able to geotag a picture in a certain location. We now have to ability to not only geotag a photo, but also readily share it with whomever we want within a matter of seconds. The availability of these tools is not only beneficial for the people who are learning to use them, but for the creation of new and improved technologies. The sharing of information and ideas travels faster, ans gives way for advancement.