Maps, friendly mapping tools, and open data
1 June 2017 · Converge: Disciplinarities and Digital Scholarship
David Ramos ( hello@imaginaryterrain.com )
Resources from the workshop, and a few extras.
Desktop GIS
- QGIS is a free/open source GIS. (Mac installers live on a separate site, linked from the main download page; note that QGIS on Mac also requires running the installer for GDAL, available from the same site.)
- ESRI develops ArcGIS, with licenses from $100/year for noncommercial uses or $250/year for teaching/research.
Web-based tools
- Carto (basic mapping tools; paid, with a free plan)
- Mapbox (highly customizable and designer-friendly; paid, with a free plan)
- Field Papers lets you create paper map for capturing data, then georeference the paper notes
- JEO is a WordPress theme meant for map-heavy, spatially-oriented sites
JavaScript map libraries
Background
- The Big Web Show 154: Where Have All the Unicorns Gone. Jeffrey Zeldman interviews Jen Simmons, asking “Have front-end and UX separated as practices? Is the time of the designer/coder over?”
- Bill Rankin, comparison of useful map projections
- Relying on ZIP code data hindered recognition of the lead problem in Flint .
- Geojournalism.org “provides online resources and training for journalists, designers and developers to dive into the world of data visualization using geographic data.”
Data sources
Particularly, data sources suitable for creating base maps.
- USGS National Map
- NOAA charts
- Nautral Earth provides clean, carefully-organized data in a variety of formats, intended for use by cartographers making their own maps. Data include physical and cultural features, and raster terrain and land cover. Public domain.
- MapZen terrain tiles
OpenStreetMap
- Main OSM site (which offers direct downloads of data, for small areas)
- GeoFabrik offers OSM data by regions
- Mapzen Metro Extracts contain OSM data for cities
- Mapzen Vector Tiles and OSM2VectorTiles repackage OSM data as tiles for JavaScript projects; both are simplified at small scales, selectively removing layers that the maintainers deem unimportant.
- maps.stamen.com basemaps
- Getting OSM Data guide
Historical
- USGS Historic Topographic Map Explorer
- NOAA Office of Coast Survey historical maps and charts