Archive for category Uncategorized
Tweeting at #gistribe today
Posted by G.P. in Uncategorized on July 15, 2015
Edited to add: Hey if you missed out on all the color-theory, cartography tips, map examples, and mapions (map + minion) then head over to @wildlifegisgirl’s storify to see all the tweets for the #gistribe chat in one place! I was honored to be asked to be a featured guest for the chat and had a lot of fun. Thanks everyone!
The #gistribe people asked me to speak on cartography today at 12:00 PT. These typically run about one hour. Follow along with us on twitter and be sure to ask a few questions and post some of your favorite map techniques.
Colorado Geo Meetups, Groups, and Lists
Posted by G.P. in Cartography Profession, Education, Uncategorized on May 6, 2015
Are you a Colorado geo-professional who would like to do some networking while learning more about all things spatial? I recently put together this list of resources for those residing in our state–along with a couple of more general twitter groups–and wanted to share it on the blog. Anything I left out? Please tweet me or write a comment.
Meetups:
Maptime Boulder. Evening gatherings to learn together, sometimes OSM focused. Beginners welcome.
GeoDev Meetup Group. Run by Esri. Typically in Fort Collins at the Rio.
NoCo GIS Users Group. Run by Brian Sullivan, presentations and networking. Loveland, Greeley, Fort Collins, the location rotates.
Geospatial Amateurs, Denver. Run by Peter Batty, Brian Timoney, and Nate Irwin. Local pub, evening gatherings, networking time plus a few presentations.
MaptimeMileHigh, This group is just getting started. Evening gatherings to learn together, sometimes OSM focused. Beginners welcome. @maptimemilehigh on twitter for updates.
General code groups/contests:
Women who Code Boulder/Denver.
Lists, etc:
Rocky Rogues. They do “night out” events and also maintain an online job board.
GIS Colorado an active listserve and website.
Twitter groups, non Colorado focused, you can follow along even if you’re not on twitter:
#geowebchat, 1:00 MT on 1st Tuesdays
#gistribe, 1:00 MT on Wednesdays
@PetersonGIS I feel like the Fort deserves a Maptime!
— Sean Gillies (@sgillies) May 6, 2015
@PetersonGIS I'm moving to Colorado next month, so this list is very helpful!
— Kiri Carini (@tomatopurl) May 6, 2015
My GeoHipster Interview
Posted by G.P. in News, Uncategorized on January 5, 2015
I’m honored To be interviewed for GeoHipster today. Check it out!
2014 Holiday Map Gift Ideas
Posted by G.P. in Inspiration, Uncategorized on December 10, 2014
I was recently asked what I would recommend for map decor and had a fantastic time looking up old favorites and discovering a few new offerings along the way. Since it is nearing the holidays and many will be looking for some gift ideas for the map-enthusiasts in their lives (or, ahem, for themselves), I thought it would be good to list my finds here for everyone to peruse. Please feel free to add relevant map gift ideas in the comments as well!
- David Imus’s map of the U.S. Get it framed and hand-signed by Imus for an extra-special gift! Purchase site.
- Exquisite maps of major cities, made almost entirely with words. Purchase site.
- Fans of Disney World’s Jungle Cruise will appreciate Jonah Adkin’s fun map. Also, Illinois and the Noland Trail maps. Purchase site. (Edited to add link to his new $5/off offer.)
- The globe chair. And yes, it isn’t just a projected map un-projected onto a globe! It’s accurate (which is more than we can say for this). Created by Hans van der Maarel of Red Geographics. Purchase site.
- Etched wine and pint glasses on etsy. Purchase site.
- The 2015 Geohipster wall calendar. Disclosure: my company made the map on the cover. Make sure to specify Jan 2015 as the starting date. Purchase site.
- And though this book is more about data visualization than about maps per se, it is a book that’s on my Christmas List so I’m hoping this hint makes it to the right person…The Functional Art by Alberto Cairo. Purchase site.
Opportunity Costs: To Make the Map or Not?
Posted by G.P. in Cartography Profession, Uncategorized on November 18, 2014
If you fear making a map due to the critiques it might engender, think of it this way:
Is the opportunity cost of not making the map that you won’t steer people wrong…literally? Then it’s important to re-think the map data and concept. Maps with incorrect information that you have sufficient belief that people will rely on should not be published. All maps have some incorrect information so you would need to ascertain the severity of the incorrect information (is there a road that will lead drivers over a cliff?) as well as the quantity of the incorrect information and then make a subjective decision.
But, if the opportunity cost of not making the map is that you don’t embarrass yourself by putting something ugly or even maybe unusable out there, then still consider making the map. After all, you have to start somewhere. We all do. We’ve all made ugly maps and maps that nobody has used. Like the child who stops drawing after kindergarten, we mustn’t let our unfounded “lack of creative talent” become a blocker. Creative “talent” is borne of experience and trial and error, not innate capability.
Map Critique Friday
Posted by G.P. in Uncategorized on November 14, 2014
It’s time to play…
What’s Wrong With This Map?
Take a look, jot down what you think, then see if your ideas match mine. If they don’t, let us know what you think is good/bad about this map.*
- The legend is old-school. Needs to be more of a floating-type. Maybe in the ocean area at lower-left without the white background and most certainly without the black border.
- Blue vegetation fill? Avoid pattern fill like this where possible. Especially the use of blue pattern for vegetation. I thought it was denoting wetlands at first.
- Bright yellow roads near thick red highways are evocative of McDonald’s signs. These colors clash.
- We know they used the default legend-making button in the software here. Because of the black outlines around the symbols, when the map, in fact, does not have black outlines around either the vegetation or the urban areas (which it shouldn’t, but neither should the legend).
*No offense to the creator of the map or to The Economist–which happens to be one of my favorite things to read when I’m traveling. I’m not above making mistakes. Look at one of the slides I tried to make for a talk, which didn’t turn out too well. Inkscape is still my friend, but we did get in a fight during the making of it.
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