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Showing posts from March, 2022

Terrain Visualization

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  To use the effect to your DEM data for hill shade the hill shade tool can be applied on top rather than creating a new layer. This can save storage space, especially if either the map extent or DEM dataset is large. The multidirectional hill shade option simulates diffuse illumination by combining light from sources in multiple directions. This is more dramatic than a traditional hill shade that shows light from a single light source in the northwest. The multidirectional hill shade reveals more variation in the terrain, thus allowing me to find unique landform features. 

Coordinate Projection System

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The area of interest in my home state of California. California is special because it is the only state that has 6 state plane zones divided within the NAD 1983 State Planar Zone. Most state planar divisions in the United States are divided vertically, but California is vertically shaped, necessitating that it be divided horizontally instead. On the other hand, if we used a UTM projection the zonation for projecting CA would be divided into only two ungainly pieces. Within California’s state planar zone, Placer county falls under Zone 2.  What are Projections?   In GIS, there are different projections a map can be displayed that can present different data from a different view around the Earth. In the Mercator projection, the linear scale is equal in all directions around any point, thus preserving the angles and the shape of smaller objects. The distortion in the size of the object increases as the latitude increases from the equator to the poles. Mercator is a cyl...

Map Design and Typography

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  Legibility – I tried using a Time New Roman approach with the text to explore a different font and have more formality. Figure-Ground Orientation – For this map, one map feature I worked on having a good figure-ground orientation is the buffer zone for the preservation of goshawk nest using a dashed dot to circle it to showcase the buffer zone of the species preservation. I could better re-organize the legend so the protected area and the buffer feature would be first in the list. Hierarchal Orientation – I choose a landscape style to present the data better. I also decided against using an insert map by adding additional information on the location of Tongass National Park. Hierarchal Organization – To emphasize my major map elements, I weighed which parts of the map would I want my readers to focus on. The main focus in the areas where the Goshawk nest and habitat need preservation. Then to address the business proposal of which area would they take lumber I highlighted the are...