Cartography

Esri via Independent

Go to class Write review

This course may be unavailable.

Details

This course may be unavailable.

Go to class

Provider

Independent
Pricing

Free Online Course
Languages

English
Duration & workload

6 weeks long
Sessions

A Best Course of All Time

Found in

Overview

Once, only cartographers made maps. Today anyone can. Still, cartographers can teach people to make better maps, just as chefs can show people how to cook better meals. With coaching from experienced cartographers and practical, hands-on exercises using ArcGIS Pro, you'll become a smarter mapmaker, ready to go beyond the defaults and make better maps.

Syllabus

Section 1

Getting Started: Let's Get Mapping

Consider the value and purpose of cartography as science and art. Get set up with ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and exercise data. Use ArcGIS Pro to design a small-format, multiscale topographic map, using generalization tools and scale-dependent symbology. Use layouts for composition. Add contextual detail, insets, legends, and marginalia.

Section 2

Math for Mapmakers

Explore how coordinate systems, transformations, and projections affect your map's message. Deal with the effects of projections and data classification methods on thematic maps. Design and publish a custom basemap in a nonstandard projection to support thematic data. Build attribute-driven symbology. Publish a multiscale web map and app.

Section 3

Language of Graphics

See how generalization, symbology, and color affect your story. Explore generalization techniques that reduce feature complexity for smaller-scale displays. Create a variety of thematic maps, including choropleth, proportional symbol, value-by alpha, and multivariate maps. Change symbology and use transparency in creative ways.

Section 4

Labels and Composition

Learn a little about typography, label placement, and map composition. Set up a palette of label styles for different features and explore options for positioning them around other map details. Create a layout that includes a range of marginalia. Use ArcGIS expressions to define labels in innovative ways.

Section 5

Mapping in 3D

Consider how to best use the z dimension to represent data for both reference and thematic maps. Use 3D symbology and develop a sense of when 3D adds value to your map. Build 3D web scenes and vary the way features are represented using attributes and dynamic symbology.

Section 6

Mapping Change

Use the time-aware and animation controls in ArcGIS Pro to design maps that show temporal change. Direct an animated movie to map change; add captions and dynamic overlay information; and publish in a range of popular, shareable formats. Create a display of small multiples for an infographic poster.

Reviews

4.8 rating, based on 197 Class Central reviews

Start your review of Cartography

S.A.Rasooli @Rasooli

I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the Esri cartography course teachers. They have done an excellent job of delivering high-quality content and engaging activities that helped me learn and apply the principles and techniques of cartography. I have gained valuable skills and knowledge to enhance my professional development and career prospects. The course was well-organized, informative, and enjoyable. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning about cartography and GIS. Thank you for your dedication and expertise.
Lily Jennifer @lramirez

Thorough, inciteful, positively challenging with a creative push. The videos were a great addition as students were able to relate to hosts and connect with their work via social media. I was able to fine tune my GIS skills and learned a few new tricks and tips which can make my cartography skills speed up!
Anonymous

Anonymous completed this course.

This was my first foray into ArcPro. And it had a lot of interesting bells and whistles to it. The MOOC focused on a lot of things that were way above my skill level, like animation and 3D mapping, and I felt that while it was interesting to see wha…

This was my first foray into ArcPro. And it had a lot of interesting bells and whistles to it. The MOOC focused on a lot of things that were way above my skill level, like animation and 3D mapping, and I felt that while it was interesting to see what could be done with it, that I personally would probably never have reason to do it.

It had a lot of things that I as a simple mapper would probably never need, but I did appreciate a few of the simple cartography tools. Symbology was a lot more powerful than in its ArcMap cousin.

As far as the videos went, I didn't get much out of them besides the opinions of the three people in them and the interesting old cartography tools they were looking at. I'm a visual person, and the lack of examples of what they were talking about meant that I had little to no idea as to what some of the things they talked about would actually look like. I feel that this hampered my ability to understand considerably.

I really enjoyed the layout of the tutorial documents. It was incredibly easy to get lost in ArcPro, but the pictures made navigation much easier in something so strange and foreign. I found the exercises interesting, even if for most of them that scared-of-change voice in the back of my head whispered "why are they doing it this way when ArcMap does it another way?". I found labeling almost as aggravating as in ArcMap, but there were a few things that came in handy (breaking up by classes).

I wish that I had more time to devote to this MOOC; it might have been interesting to take a look at the forums. But I feel that the theory discussed in the tutorials was useful. I wish that this MOOC talked more about the theory behind symbology; what works, and some general rules. Symbology is one of the toughest things for me, and I would have appreciated some sort of section focusing on it as thoroughly as map projections were focused on.

All that aside, I'm glad that I was able to participate in this MOOC. Thank you for having me.
Anonymous

Interesting and enriching experience, the materials and the exercises were adapted to the objectives of the course. first, i want to thank you for an interesting and enriching experience.
The videos animated by the imminent specialists who in a very fluid way and a very simple speech were able to attract my interest for the continuation of the course .
Thank you Esri for this great experience
Catherine Schenck-yglesias @cgschenck

Catherine Schenck-yglesias completed this course, spending 5 hours a week on it and found the course difficulty to be medium.

Step by step instructions and maps that you can save after each course assignment. Plus welcome advice from experts on the art of map-making.
Anonymous

This is very important course that I would like to encourage everyone who wish to become a true Cartographer and having all required skills of making a good map and communicate through mapping. When you take your time and exercise all exercise, it is fun. All tutorials are well prepared and help user to understand quickly. On my side, Can do a good map using ArcGIS Pro and having all elements of the map, cartographic skills and my own skills and design due to I have attended this course.
Anonymous

I had never taken an ArcGIS Pro course before, so whatever skills I had were just self-taught. Therefore, my workflow was not efficient at all. The Esri MOOC Cartography course was fun and rich with interesting exercises that taught me a little bit more about the world, history of cartography, principles of graphic design, and a LOT of trips and tricks to make ArcGIS Pro more user-friendly. I feel more confidant in using the software for 2D and 3D maps.
Anonymous

Completely free MOOC, that covers a lot of ground on a variety of GIS functions, mainly regarding data visualizations and digital cartography. I really enjoy that this course uses real world data, such as creating a before and after 3d model of the Washington, Oso landslide.
Anonymous

the course was highly instructive, appetizing in further applying the principle in day-to-day workflows. The material used was application oriented making it easy to adopt the concept in real world scenarios. Hats off to the instruction team, long may this continue.
Anonymous

Great course to learn different tools for creating maps in ArcGIS Pro, including 3D/Animations. Assignments are short enough to manage during the week while still being very helpful. Highly reccommend!
Anonymous

Great course. Provided me with confidence in making maps, sifting through attribute tables, and overall use of ArcGIS Pro. Highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their Arc skillset.
Anonymous

The course was really very interesting we learned a lot, personally I was afraid of the software before this course but after these six weeks I want to discover it even more.
Anonymous

Exercises were easy to follow along.
Great, great experience for me as a first time MOOCer!
Thanks Ken, John, Edie, Nathan and Wes, great job.
Anonymous

Fantastic. Well worth the time invested to expand my technical and creative skills while having a great time producing fun, applicable projects.
Anonymous

Fantastic. Well worth the time invested to expand my technical and creative skills while having a great time producing fun, applicable projects.
Anonymous

It's a great course to guide you from cero on the ArcGIS Pro basic tools. It's awesome and easy to understand. Great job :)
Anonymous

Great MOOC by Esri! Learned a lot and gained confidence in mapmaking.
Looking forward to more courses by Esri on cartography.
Anonymous

The course is fun and informative. The creators of the class mix humor in with the instruction. A real delight.
Anonymous

While the course if full of good information, videos are too chatty. I want substance, not banter.
And now I am filling this with nothing because they require a minimum length of the review. This is forcing me to create the same chatty nothing that prompted the critique.
Ejiro Bazunu

BEST ONLINE COURSE IVE HAD YET. NORMALLY PREFERED INSTRUCTOR LED COURSES, BUT THIS WAS VERY WELL ORGANIZED.