{"id":3119,"date":"2022-10-10T01:14:12","date_gmt":"2022-10-10T08:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/murrowcourses.com\/graphics\/?p=3119"},"modified":"2022-10-09T22:20:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-10T05:20:13","slug":"lesson-why-map-projections-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/murrowcourses.com\/graphics\/lesson-why-map-projections-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Lesson: Why Map Projections Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discussion Review: “Colours in Cultures”<\/span><\/p>\n

All of you expressed some skepticism about the “Colours in Culture” visualization by David McCandless in discussion before the midterm presentations. If you have time, this paper by Stephen Few dissects that visualization on pages 5-7<\/a>, including a non-circular remake to show how much easier it is to look up information in a “boring” table. He also questions the oversimplification of the color designations, which is the main thing that bothers me \u2014 how informative can this chart really be if it has a single category for “Native American” as if it’s one homogeneous group? <\/p>\n\"\"\n

At the same time, I think it’s good to recognize that there are sometimes reasons why an unusual or initially confusing chart can successfully make people more curious about a topic. One designer I admire for taking the “information is beautiful” ideas to the next level is Federica Fragapane<\/a>, who presents data with organic-looking shapes that require viewers to learn the symbolic marks fresh every time. That’s asking a lot of viewers, but it’s powerful when done well, similar to how people will put in the effort to read a well-crafted poem or novel.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Key Concept: Why Map Projections Matter<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we’re continuing with cartography and mapping, with a focus on clarifying a few important concepts. The following two videos do a good job explaining map projections<\/strong> and why there’s no perfect solution.<\/p>\n

1. First, here is a 2-minute video from National Geographic \u2014 it’s aimed at elementary school kids, but that makes it a good introduction. To access the video, go to the main lesson page<\/a> and select the video listed second in the content slider. It’s called “The Cartographer’s Dilemma.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

To access the video, go to the main lesson page<\/a> and select the second item in the slider.<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Next, watch this 6-minute video from Vox that goes into a little more depth about how some of the more popular projections developed and what trade-offs they make.<\/p>\n