When it comes to maps, you must know that map-making is part art and part science. To turn maps into an effective communication tool, you need to reach your audiences. To reach your audiences, the map must present itself in a simple way that gives a sense of comfort and easement to the map users. There are many GIS Mapping Companies that can create sophisticated yet simple-to-visualize maps that are truly making an impact in the Cartography world.
What is the Need for Simplicity in Map Making?
In a recent podcast, John Nelson talks about the creative side of the art of Cartography and also sheds some light on the skills necessary to make a good map. From his talk, we realized that there are different skills which are necessary to make a good map and among all these skills the most important, according to John Nelson, is simplicity!
While tools are making map-making easier but that’s going to gibberish if customers don’t get any value from your maps. To give value to your customers your maps should be effective which definitely demands experienced Geospatial specialists. A common mistake we often notice among geospatial specialists is that they try to put a lot of information on a single map often making it discouraging and sometimes even confusing.
Skills Necessary for a Map-maker
Experienced GIS specialists have to work on a variety of complicated tasks such as IT, analytics, and are not limited to being a good database manager and a good graphic designer.
Having a designing background will certainly help the geospatial engineer go a long way in bringing efficacy in cartography. Experience in using tools such as ‘Color Brewer’ and ‘Viz Palette’ will help cartographers to pick meaningful colors for their maps.
Future of Maps
I believe the future of maps is likely in the hands of people who are creative and can bring the various applications of maps to the common people across various verticals.
Authorized groups such as the North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS) have been a source of inspiration to geniuses like John Nelson who have constantly referred to ‘NACIS’ for their own work. He has the opinion that maps can definitely be taken to a wide array of customers including the likes of Social Media, AI, Blockchain, and not just in Geography.
Conclusion
Map-making is not a big deal to make but to put it into a real-life application can be a little challenging if you lack creativity. Knowledge of the technicality is not enough to make it fit for today’s demanding audiences. Without a visual representation of how predictable data processes run in a GIS mapping company, you can't guess by not seeing any sample work.
Thoughts