Earlier in the week I gave a quick overview of map projections. Today I'm covering a related topic--datums. North American Datum 1983 is the basis for a lot of common map projections, and World Geodetic System 1984 is the series of latitude and longitude most commonly used on consumer GPS devices. But first, what's a… Continue reading What’s a datum?
Tag: maps
What’s a map projection?
At the most basic level, map projections are how we turn the 3D earth surface into something flat. There are polar projections that look at the globe from the top or bottom view, or more common projections that are centered near the equator. Map projections are really easy to overlook, but have large impacts on… Continue reading What’s a map projection?
What is a Shapefile?
Shapefiles are one of the main types of data you work with in a GIS. I have a description of GIS here, and an intro to the other basic data type (rasters) here. Shapefiles are vector data, and vector data comes in three basic forms: polygons, lines, or points. Polygons are shapes that take up… Continue reading What is a Shapefile?
Bike Routes!
I'm taking a quick break for data collection tools to share a feature of Google Maps I use all the time-- bike routes! I love my bikes almost as much as I love my dogs.... I bike for transportation more days than not and am pretty familiar with the trails and bike-friendly roads in my… Continue reading Bike Routes!
Collector for ArcGIS
Last week I shared some information about Survey123 and how we use it for data collection. Today I'm going to give you a quick overview of Collector, which is another Esri product. Just like Survey123, the app is free but you'll need to log in with your Esri account credentials. I do not use Collector… Continue reading Collector for ArcGIS
Uploading Coordinates into a Map
Fall semester is here, which means we're juggling classes and planning for harvest. Over the next week or two I'll highlight some tools we use for fall data collection, including Survey 123, Collector for ArcGIS, and Google Forms. My first related post won't introduce any of these apps, but instead will use Google Maps to… Continue reading Uploading Coordinates into a Map
Color Palettes for Maps
A clear color palette makes your graphics both visually appealing and easy to read. Usually data type plays the strongest role in my color selection method, but I also consider what type of document it will be included in and who is likely to read it. There are two main types of data I present:… Continue reading Color Palettes for Maps
