Designing with geospatial data on the web
SF
Stamen /
Workshop /
This 4 hour workshop will give you a solid foundation in web map design principles, with an emphasis on styling geospatial data as part of a data visualization interface. We will learn about the main considerations when communicating data geographically, and have hands-on experience styling your own maps in Javascript using d3.js and Leaflet. At the end of the day you should feel confident that you can put communicate your geographic data clearly and beautifully using your own web-based map.
Price: $350
What will be covered
- General cartographic principles applied to geospatial dataviz
- Basemap vs data layers, rasters vs vectors
- Choosing off-the-shelf basemaps vs creating your own
- Or do you even need a basemap?
- What are they? Why do they matter?
- In d3.js: how to use map projections
- In Leaflet: how to lie to Leaflet to get projections other than Mercator
- How much detail does your map need?
- What are the pros and cons of generalizing your shapes?
- Labeling
- Color
Choosing between d3.js and Leaflet
Map projections
Map scale and generalization
Data classification and symbology
What won't be covered
- Tiled basemap design (CartoCSS or MapboxGL)
- Creating/manipulating geospatial data (see the companion workshop)
Our workshops are designed to include a balance of new information and hands-on learning. We believe well designed exercises done in the company of other enthusiastic participants can accelerate your learning greatly. We curate these workshops so that each 10-15 student event is attended by people with similar skills and motivation.
There is a companion workshop: Working with geospatial data which offers a technical overview of this subject matter. Sign up for both and get a 15% discount.
Prerequisites
Basic programming/data literacy ( familiar with CSS )
