Mapping Europe

For your second mapping assignment, you will create two maps of Europe.

Find the Software
The ArcExplorer software can be found in all general access computer labs, not in the dorms or library. Login and you will see the Start button in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen; now select the Departmental folder, then the Geography folder, and click on ArcExplorer Java. Here is what you should see . If you don't find these folders, you need to go to another computer lab that does have these folders!

Find the Data for ArcExplorer
After you have clicked on Add a Theme button, which looks like , a menu of directories will appear.
Find the directory called DeptDir (this is not the C drive, but usually the W drive), then select geog, Vogeler, Geog111, ArcExplorer, ARCEUROPE, and finally double click on NEWEUROPE.shp and close the Select Theme(s) menu window by clicking on the upper right-hand X.

Make Two Maps

  1. For Map 1, look at the world maps in the first section of Goode's Atlas, which you rented in the UWEC bookstore.
    Then examine the kinds of data that you have to make your map and look at how to use the ArcExplorer software.

    Select the POP_DENSIT variable to make a world population density map similar to the one in the Atlas.
    With the ArcExplorer software and the NEWEUROPE.shp file opened, click in the box next to the file name for the map to appear.
    How to use the ArcExplorer software. Now double click with the left-button of your mouse just under the selected box; a menu will appear.
    Under "Symbols, select Draw Features using, select Graduated Symbols and under Field, click on the down arrow to get another menu with all the variables. Use only POP_DENS from this list for Map 1.
    Click on the color boxes to select the colors YOU want; click on OK on the color menu and then OK on the map menu to get the final map. If you are printing in black and white, use appropriate shadings.
  2. For Map 2, select any other variable in ArcExplorer that YOU think shows the Third World to be different from the rest of the world.
    Under "Symbols, select Draw Features using, select Graduated Symbols and under Field, click on the down arrow to get another menu with all the variables. Select the variable to map .

    Change the name of the variable you are mapping. the default term is "worldcountriesdata;" change this to the varaible you are actually mapping.
    Add a title to the maps by copying the map and legend using Print Screen (upper right-hand corner of your keyboard, above the numeric pad),
    or Snipping Tool, under Accessories, or Edit, Save Image to file (but this excludes the legend!!)  and then import into Paint.
    Paste these into Paint and add all the text you want!     The Map title should lok like this " European Poverty Rates by Countries -- Bob Smart."

Disclaimer: This is a free and easy-to-use piece of software, which i did not write!!

Be sure to make well-designed maps, which include

  1. a comprehensive title which usually includes three elements:
    * the scale of the map, such as world, a particular world region, country, etc; e.g., "European . . .
    * variable mapped: e.g., "population per square mile;"
    * mapping unit of the data, in this case, "by country."
    A complete map title would, therefore, be "European Population Density by Country."
  2. a legend (replace the default word NEWEUROPE" with what the numbers mean, e.g., square mile, years, calories, numbers, dollars, percent, index), and
  3. the source for all these data is Eurostat, European Commission, European Union's Statistical Service, which you must add yourself at the bottom of the maps!

Use only 3 to 5 class intervals for the maps.
Use the same number of class intervals for all maps so that they can be compared.
Select colors that will show patterns when printed in black and white!

Submit:
Paper copies of two Europe-focused maps. Looking at the map, staple all the maps together in the top left-hand corner with your name in the Map Title box.

  Created by Ingolf Vogeler; last revised on November 30, 2011.