Module 3: Cartography

    In this module's lab assignment, we created three different maps representing different types of information about the same area. The first map represented the population in the different states of Mexico and the second map represented the major roads and rivers in Mexico. In this particular map, the topography of Mexico is represented using a DEM, or Digital Elevation Model, uploaded to the ArcMap software and clipped to show the elevation only in the country of Mexico. This map was easy to transition from the previous map, so I had very little trouble creating it. The only difficult part was choosing a color scheme to represent the elevation. It was fun to create this map and navigate through the different tools we used, such as the legend symbology editor and symbology properties editor. I feel that as I progressed through the lab, each map I created was slightly better than the last and I hope to continue working this way throughout this course. I am really enjoying being being able to create visually appealing maps that represent useful data. This lab provided me with some good practice for positioning and selecting the types of data I want to represent that I am certain I will need for all of my future projects.

Module 2: Own Your Map

     This map represents the location of the UWF campus in Escambia County, Florida. Although it is a very basic representation, it still provides a good idea of the general location of the campus with respect to the location on the Florida panhandle, the county it is located in and the interstates it is near. Creating this map provided me with a great learning experience to start the semester off with. I enjoyed being able to navigate around the ArcMap software and learn about some of the tools it has to offer. The instructions for this assignment were very easy to follow and gave good explanations for the process of creating basic map elements. The only thing I really had difficulty with was choosing a symbol to represent the campus with, since there were so many different choice! I thought the creation of the inset map was pretty cool too because it demonstrated how dynamic the ESRI software is. It's neat that with a variety of layers of data, a user can choose from a wide range of very specific items to show on a map that represents the message they want to deliver. I am excited to continue to learn about what this software has to offer, as I am already amazed with what I've seen so far!