GIS 3015 - Final Project

The cartographic map shown below illustrates 2014 State SAT scores and participation rates.  The test scores are the total of Reading, Math and Writing averages per each state.  In addition to portraying average test scores and participation rates, the map allows the viewer to analyze the correlation of the two datasets.  Two thematic datasets were displayed over one geographic region, specifically the United States.   

A choropleth map was created to show the average SAT scores per state.  This method was chosen because it’s useful when comparing data between states.  The average test scores were broken down into five different classes.  States with lower scores have a lighter color; whereas states with higher scores have a darker color.  For this map, the Natural Breaks data classification method was applied.  This method was chosen because it displays the data in clusters to facilitate identifying states with similar test scores.  In experimenting with different classification methods in ArcMap, Natural Breaks provided the best differentiation between states.      

The second thematic method chosen for this map is known as proportional symbols.  This method was used to show the percentage of high school graduates who took the SAT exam in 2014, per state.  The smaller circles represent a lower percentage of people who have taken the SAT; whereas, the larger circles show a higher percentage of people who have taken the test in their state.

Balance and contrast are a couple design techniques that have been incorporated in the map shown below.  Balance has been applied by using the appropriate map space to display the data.  The legends were placed adjacent to each other in the lower right hand corner, balanced with insets of Hawaii and Alaska in the lower left hand corner.  Vertical and horizontal alignment was appropriately applied for visual aesthetics.  The scale bars were included but deemphasized by its color and weight selection.  An inset of Washington D.C. was created for visual clarity.

I enjoyed this class more than I originally thought I would.  I absolutely loved seeing all of the possibilities and learning the different tools within ArcMap.  Every week, I looked forward to creating a new map.  I'm looking forward to seeing what GIS has in store for me in the future.