Kelsey Yoder-Ostroski's Portfolio of Geographic Information Science

 

 Proportional and Bivariate Maps Representing multiple variables in a single design Proportional Maps Often we will need to represent quantitative data. Proportional (often called graduated) symbol maps are an intuitive method of displaying quantities. By using ratios, we can show a range of symbols to indicate quantity or importance. However, creating an effective proportional map can be challenging due to overlapping symbols and the human tendency to over or underestimate size.  The following map depicts the population size of major cities in India. I chose a proportional (or graduated) symbology of three sizes for this map. Circles are a common symbol for point classes and each circle represents a magnitude of class (population) size. Since humans have a difficult time discerning the differences between shape size, it is important to choose symbols that will be easy to interpret. Small, medium, and large are intuitive to most readers. The major challenge of this map was det...

Visual Storytelling  Presenting Information in Pictures Painting from the Lascaux Caves in Eastern France A star map was discovered among these 17,000 years old cave drawings (Photo from the French Ministry of Culture) Humans are innately a visual species. We look for patterns, demand order and balance, and cue into color. Readers come to the map with expectations and prior experience; they expect what is presented to them to follow conventional reading rules and patterns. By encoding our information in a visually hierarchical way, we provide structure and reassurance to the reader. Elements are ordered by importance and balance provides a pleasing aesthetic. Color plays an especially important storytelling aspect as color palettes tap into Jungian archetypes, emotional connotations, and affective expression. By combining hierarchy, color, and symbology, we can use cartography to tell an effective visual story. For this project, we were tasked to collect data from 2018 County Healt...

 Playing with Color It's a very serious business Creative Commons Oh, hello first grade color wheel. Why are you here? I thought we were in grad school? Oh, you're here to completely disillusion me from the notion that I know what color is? Cool. Color is an important aspect of cartography that often goes unnoticed by the majority of readers. However, color choice plays a critical, unspoken aspect of design and messaging. We can look at color through the Jungian lens: white is pure, red is bold and bloody, green is growth and life, and so on. The meaning of color is dependent on culture and historical trends.  But what about the scientific approach to color? Color is our human perception of the electromagnetic spectrum. We are seeing the absorption, reflection, and interference of light. Our interpretation of these wavelengths is affected by vision, light, and cultural understanding. Naming paint in the hardware store "Canyon Dusk" and "Moondust" is one way ...