Cartographic Skills: Module 7

For this week's assignment, first we were to download data about the population changes in the United States over a ten-year span into ArcMap. From there, we were to classify the data and create a basic map which included a legend, scale, and north arrow, and then save it as an .ai document to be opened in Adobe Illustrator. On my first map I used a Natural Breaks classification.

Once in AI, the assignment was to add final touches to the map and doctor it up and give it a good layout.

The second part of the assignment was to take a copy of the finished product in AI and create a different classification scheme based on data provided in an Excel document. This time I chose a Quantile classification scheme.

Someone observing both of these maps can not only see the difference in population across the United States from 1990 to 2000, but they can also see the differences between data classified by Natural Breaks and data classified by a Quantile system.