There has been some criticism of GIS Cartography: A Guide to Effective Map Design, all from academic-types, who contend that the book does not provide enough references to cartographic literature. I’d like to respond to that here:
If cartographic literature were compelling enough to cite then why has GIS cartographic design been so LACKING for all these years?
Okay, so there is some useful information in the traditional cartographic literature that would serve the GIS professional but they obviously aren’t getting the message. Why is that? Maybe a different mode of communication would be helpful, I said. Maybe a more been-there, done-that approach would be more successful. Maybe an intuitive system by someone who knows what it is like to try to make maps on their own would have more appeal. And those were the ideas I kept in mind throughout the research and writing phases of the book creation process.
For those in the trenches of map-production this book has useful advice that makes their jobs easier and makes their products better. If there had been such a book 12 years ago, my own initial cartographic attempts would have been much more successful.
#1 by Keith on January 25, 2011 - 7:02 pm
Gretchen, I’ve read one of the criticisms of your book and immediately dismissed it. I believe the academicians you’re talking about are missing the audience for the book. Correct me if I’m wrong, but your book aims to help entry-level GIS professionals communicate their work more effectively – not the cartographic shop that puts out a printed atlas. GIS Cartography does a great job reaching that GIS professional audience and providing a much more tangible approach to map design. And, as you suggest, the book fills a much needed niche for us GISers who need help with our cartographic efforts.
Thanks for writing the book. My maps have improved substantially since reading it…at least in my own opinion!