Weekly Blog Post #9

This is a dot density map of the Austin, Texas area.  The dots are depicting the amount of tree coverage in the area, and Austin has 37%!  If I ever have to move back to Texas, it will be to Austin.

I chose this map because not only is it beautiful (I love dot density maps), but it really does a good job of showing you the data.

Weekly Blog Post #8

ISOLINE!  This is a map from the National Weather Service to show precipitation levels for Halloween....spoooooooooky!

Lab #8: SMERG!!!

 I don't know what SMERG is, but it's BAD!

Lab #7: Proportional Symbol

Weekly Blog Post #7: Proportional Symbol

This map came from a Washington Post article from January.  It shows the number of people who die trying to migrate to Europe.  The larger symbols show the greater amount of deaths, and is very striking.  I thought the colors were well done, and the symbols do a great job of depicting the information clearly.

Source:  Washington Post

Color Choropleth Map. HOORAY for Color!

 This map was optimized for the web, and the colors look exactly how I wanted them to look.  The purple variations are noticeable (I chose purple because that is the color associated with Alzheimer's disease, and the Alzheimer's Association).  The background color was a muted yellow, which is a good contrasting color with purple.  It makes the purple stand out more.  However, on different screens it is different colors.  On my screen at home, it's much more muted and nice.  On the screens at school, it has a tinge of green.  However, on the printed version, the purple variations aren't as bright and beautiful as they are on the web.  The background color is also brighter, and a bit more greenish yellow.  It doesn't look bad, but I wish the purple had been more pronounced on the print.  Since this is for the web, though, I am pleased with how it came out.

Bench Mark

Woohoo!  Found at Locust Shade Park on Highway 1, outside of Quantico.  It's a benchmark!

Weekly Blog Post: EBOLA

Ebola is the big topic as of late, with fears and concerns about it spreading after a man traveled to the US after visiting West Africa.  He became sick with Ebola, and died a few days later.  This week we have been tasked with finding a map with good color choices.  I chose this map from the World Health Organization about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.  It's not the most colorful of maps out there, but I think it effectively uses color to show the data they are trying to portray.  The yellow stands out to show where the outbreaks have been recently, and the red dots shows the number of cases.  The red adds a sense of urgency, which I believe if warranted since Ebola is so deadly and can spread easily in places with poor sanitation and health care.

Source:  World Health Organization

Lab 5: Choropleth Maps

This week we were tasked to create two maps using the same data, but using different class interval schemes.  I used Natural Breaks and Equal Interval. 

Weekly Blog Post: Choropleth Map

This is a choropleth map from 2000 of the estimated number of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease in each state.  Alzheimer's Disease is a topic very close to my heart, which is why I chose this map.  I also think it is a straight forward map, and easy to read.

This came from a report done by the Alzheimer's Association.
http://www.alz.org/national/documents/report_alzfactsfigures2009.pdf

Lab #4: County and State Lines of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia

 I made my first map!  The state and county lines were imported, and the rest was done my me.  What do you think?