map-making (102)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Wed, 12 Apr 89 21:00:56 EDT
Humanist Mailing List, Vol. 2, No. 827. Wednesday, 12 Apr 1989.
(1) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 89 00:40 EDT (32 lines)
From: Ezra Zubrow <APYEZRA@ubvmsc.bitnet>
Subject: RE: map making?
(2) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 89 10:19 EDT (29 lines)
From: <J_CERNY@UNHH>
Subject: cartograms
(3) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 89 14:30:41 EDT (16 lines)
From: Geoff Rockwell <rockwell@utorgpu>
Subject: Re: map making?
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 89 00:40 EDT
From: Ezra Zubrow <APYEZRA@ubvmsc.bitnet>
Subject: RE: map making?
REGARDING MAP MAKING SOFTWARE
1. THERE ARE NUMEROUS MAP MAKING PROGRAMS WHICH CAN
HANDLE A VARIETY OF TYPES OF DATA, DISTORTION, PROJECTIONS
ETC.
2. A FREE PROGRAM IS PC-MAP DEVELOPED BY TOMILNSON PREVIOUSLY
AT HARVARD NOW AT OHIO-STATE. IT IS A GRID BASED GIS SYSTEM.
3. A MORE SOPHISTICATED COMMERCIAL PACKAGE WHICH IS VERY GOOD
BUT TAKES AWHILE TO LEARN IS PC- ARC-INFO WHICH CAN BE
PURCHASED FROM THE ESRI CORPORATION IN REDLANDS CALIFORNIA.
THE ADDRESS IS 380 NY. STREET, REDLANDS CALIF, CA. 92373, TEL
714 793-2853. REGIONAL OFFICES CAN BE FOUND IN CHARLOTTE, NC,
OLYMPIA WASHINGTON, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA, AS
WELL AS WEST PERTH , AUSTRALIA; DON MILLS, ONTARIO, CANADA, AND
MUNICH, WEST GERMANY. IT HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING ABLE
TO BE UPLOADED AND DOWNLOADED TO MAINFRAME VERSIONS OF ARC-INFO.
4. A SUN WORKSTATION SUPPORTED SYSTEM IS CALLED SYSTEM 9 WHICH
USES OBJECT LANGUAGE SYNTAX.
5. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER SYSTEMS. ONE MIGHT WISH TO NOTE
THAT IN THE UNITED STATES THERE IS THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ANALYSIS WHICH IS DEDDICATED TO SPATIAL
AND MAP MAKING PROBLEMS.
6. ITS OFFICIAL OFFICES CAN BE CONTACTED THROUGH NCGIA@UBVMS.
7. I HOPE THIS IS USEFUL.
EZRA ZUBROW
NATIONAL CENTER FOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ANALYSIS
& DEPT. OF ANTHRO.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------33----
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 89 10:19 EDT
From: <J_CERNY@UNHH>
Subject: cartograms
Another comment on software to produce maps with areas scaled
proportional to a set of data values (e.g. German immigrants). These
are what cartographers usually call cartograms. There are two basic
types: (1) contiguous, in which you try to fit all the areas together,
sacrificing shape and contiguity relationships as necessary, and (2)
non-contiguous, in which you let the areas float apart, but in their
approximate correct spatial relationships to each other, with shape
preserved in as much detail as you wish.
The Macintosh program called MapMaker (3.0) allows production of
non-contiguous cartograms. MapMaker is produced by Select Micro
Systems, Inc., 40 Triangle Center, Suite 211, Yorktown Heights, NY,
10598.
While non-contiguous cartograms could be produced, as suggested, with
something like Adobe Illustrator, it would require calculation of the
percentage linear enlargement or reduction of each map unit in advance
to get the desired areas, relative to some selected "anchor" area. I
think it would be very difficult to produce satisfactory contiguous
cartograms with such general software. I know contiguous cartogram
programs have been written, but I have yet to discover any ported to
the Macintosh.
Jim Cerny, University Computing, University of New Hampshire
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------21----
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 89 14:30:41 EDT
From: Geoff Rockwell <rockwell@utorgpu>
Subject: Re: map making?
Re: Map Making
USA is supposed to use Macs for their graphics but I suspect they
have other systems too. The way I would create the map in question
would be to use either MacDraw or Illustrator and create each of the
states as separate objects. Then each state could be scaled as needed.
Before creating such a map you should look at some PICT or PostScript
image collections - I would be surprised if you could not find such
a map for a fee.
Yours Geoffrey Rockwell
rockwell@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca