Some people don’t realize this, but I’m an analyst first and a cartographer second. Here, I’ll prove it…Here’s what’s on the white board in my office right now:
The deal is that GIS analysts have to be really good at the left-brain work (math and science, if you will) but we don’t necessarily feel it is a requirement to be good at right-brain thinking. However, this simply isn’t true. Analytical work means absolutely nothing if that work is not conveyed in a manner that engages and allows comprehension of the results. I enjoy writing this blog because at some level I imagine that it helps other people show off map data in its best possible light.
Now, if through the years of learning about and increasing your level of cartogaphic excellence you find that you want to do some pure map-making in addition to analysis, or you want to move into map-making as a profession as opposed to analysis, that’s great too. As I look back on my work for 2011 I did about 60% of what I consider GIS analysis work (that includes data creation, analysis, and the maps and reports that represent the results) and about 40% pure cartography work (no analysis, just getting data and arranging it to tell a story or to convey a particular point in the most effective way possible). It’s been a good mix for me, someone who likes variety and challenge. (But don’t we all, really.)
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