Lauren Chaphe's Geographic Information Science (GIS) Portfolio

This week concentrated on mapping smooth continuous data types, such as elevation, precipitation, and  temperature. Using ArcGIS Pro software, a map was created from provided annual precipitation data for the state of Washington. This data was created using the PRISM, or Parameter-elevation Relationships on Independent Slopes Model interpolation method. In this method, precipitation data is collected at precipitation stations and surrounding precipitation rates are then extrapolated based on elevation cell values, found by comparing Digital Elevation Model (DEM) cell values of the same region, along with other environmental factors. DEM elevation values, provided in raster cells, are compared to the cells containing the precipitation station location, and are then assigned a precipitation rate based on its similarity to that elevation value. This is based on the positive relationship between elevation and precipitation rates, or the fact that as elevation increases, so does the rat...

The goal for this week was to map wine consumption in European Countries along with population density for the year 2012. The assigned methods to map these data were choropleth and proportional symbols. Data was provided in an Equal Area projection, which minimizes distortions and allows for correct interpretation of choropleth maps. Population density was mapped using ArcGIS Pro software by a graduated color scheme, with classes divided using a quantile, 5 class method. This ensured there were no classes with values of zero and five classes were chosen to provide more variations in color. A light purple to dark maroon color sequence was chosen to mimic red wine colors and stay with the wine theme for the map. A circle symbol, with a simple grape cluster silhouette, is used to symbolize wine consumption, ranging in both size and background color. The final map is shown below:  The map scale that contained all the data the best was 1:20,000,000. Labeling seemed to be a concern when ...

Module 4 introduced the topic of various data classification methods. The objective was to display the same data set using 4 different classification methods and compare the differences that each has on the final map output. Population census data for Miami Dade was provided from the Florida Geographic Data Library. ArcCatalog software was used to preview the data and data table to determine the census tract with the highest number of individuals aged 65 years or older as well as the census tract with the highest percentage of the population aged 65 years and older. By sorting the table based on the appropriate fields, the data shows that census tract 90.40 has the highest percentage of people above 65, at 79.17%, while census tract 58.02 has the highest amount of seniors at 2372 individuals. The same data was then classified using four different classification methods, natural breaks, quantile, standard deviation, and equal interval, based on using the percent of the population aged 6...

Module 3 introduced cartographic design techniques. For this assignment, I used ArcGIS Pro software to create a map of public schools located with Ward 7 in Washington D.C. Data was provided from the District of Columbia Open Data website in order to create a finalized map. The final map and discussion is below:  Visual Hierarchy- The map shows visual hierarchy by the chosen symbology. Map elements with higher importance, specifically the school locations, are shown as bright orange to red colors. Also, the fonts showed the visual hierarchy, in that the title and legend fonts are bold and large size while the road names, source data are a small font size. Map elements that are less important, such as the north arrow and scale bar, are small as well.  Contrast- Contrast is used to differentiate the school types. The colors range from orange, to red, to dark red to show the elementary, middle, and high schools within the public school data. Additionally, the point symbols go fro...

The main topic for this week's module was typography, specifically it uses to create better maps and portray information that isn't already shown on the map. The main goal of this assignment was to label and set symbology to show the state of Florida's city locations, main rivers, and two natural features (The Everglades and Okefenokee Swamp). The final map and a description of some map customizations is  below.  The font style and size for the city locations differentiated between the cities that are the county seat and the cities that are not. Larger, bold type font and large black points indirectly indicate a higher city population or higher significance than the other city locations (small, regular type font with small, light gray points). Another customization was the use of blue, italic type font to label the river names. The blue color and flowing italic appearance are typically used to label water features in most maps. Additionally, the swamp areas are v...