Module 5: Choropleth and Proportional Symbol Mapping

 

    This week's assignment focused on creating a thematic map that visually communicates population density and wine consumption across European countries. The objective was to use cartographic techniques such as choropleth mapping and proportional/graduated symbols to represent data effectively. The assignment involved data classification, SQL queries, and use of cartographic design principles to create an intuitive map. The aim was to create a visually compelling representation that highlights spatial patterns in the data.

    The final map consists of two primary elements, first is a choropleth map that depicts population density using graduated colors. Quantile classification was selected because it divides the data into classes containing equal numbers of regions, allowing for balanced visual representation. This method highlighted contrasts between densely populated urban areas and sparsely populated rural regions, even when the data distribution is uneven. Second, proportional symbols overlay wine consumption data measured in liters per capita. The proportional symbol method ensures that symbol sizes correspond directly to data values, allowing easy comparisons across countries. By combining these methods, the map provides background context with population density while also delivering thematic insights through wine consumption data.

    Some of the data preparation involved accessing the dataset, reviewing attribute tables, and identifying outliers such as Monaco and Malta for exclusion using SQL queries. To create the choropleth map, graduated color symbology was applied to the population density field, while analyzing to find an appropriate classification scheme. For the proportional symbol map, the size of each symbol was adjusted to match how much wine people drink in each country. The legend was also tweaked to make it easier to understand at a glance. This helps show the differences in wine consumption clearly on the map. All essential map elements were utilized while labels were carefully positioned. The overall layout resulted in a functional and visually appealing map that effectively communicates the story of population density and wine consumption across Europe. 

    Overall, this assignment was straight forward and helped a lot in the ways of using cartographic principles to convey multiple spatial datasets in the simplest way to a viewer. I really enjoyed finding a symbol to represent wine consumption in form of a wine glass and intend to use this in the future.

    My biggest complaint during this lab (and module 3 and 4) was that my personal laptop and the school's remote connection, both failed at handling the data from the labs. It took me 10x as long to do this lab than it should have. Moving labels and other features on the map took hours. Clicking on a feature took 10 minutes to register and as a result, I believe my map suffered. Being frustrated, I still completed the map to the best of my ability, but have purchased a new, much more powerful laptop to help me moving forward. Perhaps this was the excuse I needed to upgrade and bring my work quality up.