Cartography

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.

Charts

#2 in Subjects / Engineering / GIS

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Reviews

4.8 rating, based on 159 reviews

Start your review of Cartography

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 what...

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.
Catherine Schenck-yglesias @cgschenck
1

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 a great course! The videos are fun and informative. The "homework" is in written form so you don't have to follow along with a video, and each of the steps is clearly documented. The text itself is clearly checked by someone who uses the software...

This is a great course! The videos are fun and informative. The "homework" is in written form so you don't have to follow along with a video, and each of the steps is clearly documented. The text itself is clearly checked by someone who uses the software regularly, and I (a complete newbie to the software) was able to follow the homework without issue. It's an incredible opportunity to use ArcGIS software for free. (You get access from the beginning of the course until about a week afterward.) I recommend this course for map lovers -- and design lovers. The main "gist" is that you shouldn't use the defaults in the software if you want to make beautiful maps, and -more importantly- that you should make conscious decisions in your map making. It's a great crash course in visual information design theory.
Anonymous

This course is an incredible way to learn about cartography because it doesn't only teach cartography, but it also allows for students to grow a deeper interest through the sections of each week's video. I recommend that anyone interested in cartography with any level of experience gives this course a try.
Anonymous

I really enjoyed this course. I am a college student and my professor mentioned this course and said if we did it we would get extra credit. This was the original reason as to why I signed up, however as I began taking the course, watching the videos, and doing the assignments. I became more invested in doing it because I liked it, and I thought that it was really cool. I really enjoyed learning new things every week, and I loved learning new information from all the cartographers that were a part of this course! Thank you for an amazing course!! :)
Anonymous

This is an outstanding course. The engagement with so many Projects and examples of work is really educative! Fun of the previous versions of the ArcMap I got to know the superb capabilities of ArcGIS Pro. I now know what the abilities are of ArcGIS Pro regarding Temporal visualization which has been a real challenge for the cartographers for years now. Also, it was really good to have in mind the endless 3D possibilities and how they can be combined with the Temporal prospective, so to offer a solution to that aspect, as well!
Priscilla Burton

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. The short introductory videos for each lesson were informative and entertaining. Besides the lesson topic, the videos shared a map of the week (often an historical map) and tools of the trade. The course work gave me insight into the possibilities for map making and provided many references (web links) for more detail. The subject matter for each mapping assignment was diverse and interesting to work with. The final animation assignment was especially fascinating. This is a great course!
Anonymous

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. The short introductory videos for each lesson were informative and entertaining. Besides the lesson topic, the videos shared a map of the week (often an historical map) and tools of the trade. The course work gave me insight into the possibilities for map making and provided many references (web links) for more detail. The subject matter for each mapping assignment was diverse and interesting to work with. The final animation assignment was especially fascinating. This is a great course!
Anonymous

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).
Anonymous

Anonymous completed this course.

Excellent intro to effectively communicating with cartography using Esri ArcGIS Pro software (aka ArcPro). On completion of the course, the student may download a certificate. The course is divided up into 6 sections, and each section begins with a...

Excellent intro to effectively communicating with cartography using Esri ArcGIS Pro software (aka ArcPro). On completion of the course, the student may download a certificate.

The course is divided up into 6 sections, and each section begins with a video followed by exercise lessons, a quiz and a MOOC forum participation component. The videos are of the instructors discussing the topic of the week, a "show and tell" of a few old-school cartography tools (so you appreciate modern computer tools!) and pet peeves or "cartofails". The lessons exercises are very well written with screenshots (PDF format). Data used in the exercise is provided via download. The lessons begin with step-by-step instruction; next level refers back to steps learned earlier (with reminder hints); and finally directs a task to be performed without providing hints back to the steps which were relies on steps done earlier in a similar task. An optional "stretch" or challenge task is given for those who wish to challenge themselves further and receive feedback.

Some technical comments:
ArcPro: Software download, only runs on Windows 10. Free license granted for the duration of MOOC plus about one week afterwards. Software is graphically intensive, so program may run slowly on an entry level laptop.

Videos: May be viewed from any browser. However, some may experience viewing problems since the video server domain (amazonaws.com) is on a network security blacklist for phishing. (Try watching the video from a different network.)

This is a very informative course for learning cartography basics, and to get familiar with ArcPro. Highly recommended!
Anonymous

This was an intense course that crammed just about a full semester of introductory GIS into six weeks. While there were parts that I was familiar with due to previous experience with ArcGIS software, I learned some new things all the while learning to use ArcGIS Pro for the first time. I'm very glad I took this course because I feel more confident in my mapmaking skills.
Bruce Willett

Excellent course with entertaining presenters. Well thought out and easy to work through and digest. Was able to learn a little more cartography and some of ArcGIS Pro which I am still not sure about. Nothing is easy or intuitive. Menus, panes, ect are not organized well so the course had to do a bit of recipe like hand holding. Overall Great Course!
Anonymous

If you have a GIS background, take this course! If you do not have a GIS background, take this course! The instructors are great, the exercises are laid out well, and there is a wonderful overview of ArcPro that will either add on to your existing knowledge or build you a new skill set.
Anonymous

This was a fun course with carefully crafted exercises to cater to all levels of ArcGIS Pro users. The hosts provided a lot of useful information with a touch of humor. I highly recommend this course to novices and experts. You will learn something new!
Anonymous

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Highly recommend. The lessons covered a variety of topics and the instructions were clear and detailed. The tutors were fantastic. Definitely give this a go if you'd like to learn or improve cartography skills.
Anonymous

The course was highly enlightening. I have learned a lot about spatiotemporal data representation and also typography, through the amazing ArcGIS Pro. Many thanks to the instructors who made the course very fun and easy to follow through.
Anonymous

Great course for those interested in cartography and getting started with ArcPro, really good pacing and not difficult to follow to make some incredible looking maps. Definitely recommend it.
Anonymous

Every aspect of the course was great, but one huge moment was the nudge to go beyond the default setting, that was really mind-liberating for me. Thanks Ken and the team, you are great teachers.
Anonymous

Great introduction to mapmaking. Would recommend to everyone in any science or communication field. Be more effective at presenting your results and talking to your audience with visuals.
Anonymous

I do wish that there was more diversity in terms of the instructors teaching the course. Bringing in more instructors of color would add new perspectives to the course.

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Cartography

Overview

Syllabus

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