NACIS 2017

Second Home Ownership in Wisconsin's Northwoods: Cartographic Revelations from Wisconsin's Statewide Parcel Dataset | La cartographie et la politique extérieure : le point de vue sur la cartographie d’un cartographe du Département d’État
Presenter: Ezra Zeitler, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Copresenter: Zachary Fischer, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
For generations, the Northwoods of Wisconsin has served as a"pleasure periphery" for residents of Midwest attracted by its scenic lakes and quiet forests. Although it is widely understood that many non-residents of the Northwoods own second homes there, exact numbers are nebulous. To address this issue, we conducted a cartographic analysis of more than 800,000 Northwoods land parcels, made available in a statewide parcel dataset provided by the Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office, to reveal where owners of Northwoods properties live year-round. In this presentation, we will explain our cartographic production process, including techniques used and challenges confronted, provide advice for delivering web-based maps products on platforms like Esri Story Maps and Google Maps that are friendly to cartographers new to this genre, and discuss the relevance and applicability of mapping large datasets for the broader purpose of telling innovative stories about places.

Mapping riverscapes of the world | Cartographier les paysages fluviaux du monde
Presenter: Camille Ouellet Dallaire, McGill University
The hierarchical and nested nature of river systems presents a cartographic challenge because their spatial organization is not intuitive from a bird's-eye view. Still, mapping specific information on rivers can help us understand better how these aquatic ecosystems relate to one another and can inform their sustainable management.

Therefore, to support research and outreach related to river systems, it is imperative to design and develop maps that can be easily understood by a broad audience. Using visual hierarchy and color theory, I have developed effective and creative maps that focus on eco-hydrological information for large river basins at global and continental scales. Supporting research aimed toward river classifications and quantification of aquatic ecosystem services, the final maps represent millions of river reaches that flow through a variety of landscapes and enable a quick understanding of (1) the type of rivers, and (2) the intensity of society's reliance on these systems.

Doing Cartography as Professional Amateurs | Faire de la cartographie comme des amateurs professionnels
Presenter: Alan McConchie, Stamen Design
At Stamen we are often called upon to make maps about topics we know nothing about. So why do clients keep hiring us, if we are such amateurs? Well, sometimes you need someone who is good at being an amateur! At Stamen we like to think of ourselves as experts at bringing an amateur's enthusiasm and "beginner's mind" to the data. In short, our job is making maps about topics that are not our job. In this presentation, I'll showcase some recent Stamen projects, and talk about how we use our design process to help clients see their data with fresh eyes. I will also talk about how this approach extends to the cartographic tools we use in our work, where a careful mixture of expertise and naivety lets us break our tools in interesting ways, pushing them to their limits and finding exciting new visualizations in the process.

Fake maps! The cartography of elections | Les fausses cartes : la cartographie des élections
Presenter: Kenneth Field, Esri / International Cartographic Association
Quoting former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson: "a week is a long time in politics". The same might be said about electoral cartography. For many, elections provide a fascinating sideshow in seeing how the results are handled cartographically.

Using recent United Kingdom elections I review shifts in cartographic style and the emergence of a fascinating consensus in terms of map type, style and functionality A new default appears to be emerging. I compare these to maps of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election where greater cartographic diversity exists. The geographies of two massively different countries account for some of this but consumer preference also creates different demands in the map reader.

Approaches range from the purely functional to beautifully imaginative and innovative artistic representations. I finish by sharing my own attempts to map recent political events, both artistically and to challenge and extend the palette of political thematic cartography.