Mapping Center

One of the presentations we gave at this year's User Conference was "The One Minute Cartographer". While we were developing the presentation, we had several intentions in mind. Most importantly, we wanted to demonstrate to the attendees of our session that making a good map in ArcGIS isn't always as hard as it seems – often times, it is just a matter of going one or two steps beyond the defaults. Another thing that was really important to us was to make sure that all the data we used to produce this map was also available to you, so we used data on the ESRI Data and Maps DVD. In addition, we wanted to create a set of resources with great potential to help map makers in a variety of ways:

1. it could be used by teachers to demonstrate and explain how to make a map in ArcGIS,
2. portions of the presentation could be used as labs in GIS and cartography classes,
3. professionals or students could run through the set of instructions to update or test their map making skills,
4. newcomers to the software could use the resources to get up to speed in map making, and
5. you could use the instructions to create the same kind of map for your own local area.

All of the resources you need to create the map of Washington Elevation are available on the Mapping Center website. Click on the Other Resources tab at the top of any Mapping Center page, and the first tabbed page contains a list of all our presentations. You will find three downloads to the resources you need to make this map:

1. WashingtonElevation_Presentation.zip -- this zip file contains a PDF version of the presentation we gave at the 2009 ESRI International User Conference in the "One Minute Cartographer" session. The bottom notes of the presentation include all the instructions necessary to make the Washington Elevation map.
2. WashingtonElevation_Documentation.zip -- this zip file contains the PDFs of three maps -- the Washington Elevation map that we demonstrated how to make in our "One Minute Cartographer" presentation, an enhanced Washington Elevation map to which we added a locator map, physiographic feature labels, summits and their labels and gradient fill in the ocean. We also included a map that our colleague, David Barnes, made of the same area using the same data but a different affective design.
3. WashingtonElevation_ArcGIS_Resources.zip -- this zip file contains the data and other resources necessary to create the map in ArcGIS that we demonstrated how to make in our "One Minute Cartographer" presentation. Specifically, this file includes:

• WashingtonElevation.mxd – an ArcMap document that was used to create the map. The Washington Elevation data frame contains the data used on the final map. The “Demo Data” data frame contains intermediate data used to create some of the cartographic effects in the final map.
• WashingtonElevation.gdb – the file geodatabase used to create the map.
• WashingtonElevation.style – an ArcMap style that contains the color ramps used to symbolize the hillshade and layer tint on the map, as well as the point symbols used for cities and the line symbols used for boundaries.
• WashingtonElevationBookmarks.dat – the bookmarks used in the WashingtonElevation.mxd.
• WA_HydroPolys_Lakes.exp – the SQL query used for the WA_HydroPolys:Lakes label class to label only the lakes within the state of Washington.
• USHydroFlowLines_1.exp – the SQL query used for the USHydroFlowLines:1 label class to not label the streams outside the state of Washington.

Together, these resources provide everything you need to create the Washington Elevation map. The original data sources are documented on the General tab for each layer in the map document. As we said above, all data came from the ESRI Data and Maps DVD. So you can easily re-create the map for any location that is covered by data on the ESRI Data and Maps DVD.

We said in the presentation, "A map is always done when you run out of time!" Using the tips and tricks we outlined in the presentation, we hope we can help you can make the most of your time. If you have extra time, and energy, we encourage you to add any final touches to the map or make any enhancements that you see fit. We’d love it if you would tell us about your work here so that it can be shared with others! You can use the Comments option at the end of this blog post to let us know what you’ve done. Or you can ask for any clarifications, if you need them – in the comments or on the Ask a Cartographer page. We look forward to hearing back from you!

Note -- we will be posting an enhanced version of this map on the Maps page of Mapping Center in the very near future.  Look for more instructions there on how to achieve more great cartographic effects with this map!