Author Note: This exercise was written by Leah Meisterlin and Grga Basic (2017); revised by Leah Meisterlin (2022).

• Contents

Mapping Project

Urbanization is a planetary phenomenon that weaves the territory of the world into an uneven fabric of infrastructural and logistical networks. This process extends well beyond traditional city cores. Our first mapping project is to represent this condition on a global scale and familiarize ourselves with basic spatial data types in the process. In our map, we will prioritize concentrated urbanization by representing world cities as dots, including labels for the most populated cities. We will also challenge the city-noncity binary and attempt to depict extended urbanization by adding transportation networks to our map.

Assignment & Deliverable Format

Complete the exercise below, answering the embedded questions.

After completing the exercise, create one map composition responding to the Mapping Project prompt above. The composition should…

1. combine raster (Earth at Night) and vector (city locations and transportation networks) into a single map
2. symbolize cities based on their recorded population within the dataset, including labels for the most populated
3. focus on a specific region of the world at a scale between 1:15 million and 1:20 million
4. include your name and the date of the map’s creation
5. include a scale bar, north arrow, legend, and abbreviated data sources (author, date)
6. include a meaningful and descriptive title that contains at least the what (urban areas, cities, highways, etc.), the where (which region of the world), and the when (data year) represented by the map.

A successful map will clearly, quickly, and effectively respond to the mapping challenge described above. The map composition should eb 8.5 by 11 inches, landscape orientation. For this assignment, consider your peers as your intended audience.

<aside> 📢 In designing every map, consider the questions we pose in class about the maps we read. Consider the communicative clarity, tone, and implicit suggestions inherent in the cartographic decisions made when compiling and composing map-based information. Consider your audience and the map’s purpose.

</aside>

Data

<aside> 💾 Download and unzip the exercise data package, saving it to your working directory.

Exercise data packages are accessible via Google Drive with a Columbia University UNI login. If you would like a copy of the full course materials, see here.

</aside>

Before we begin working with the data, let’s discuss the data files we'll be working with. (You can access them in Windows Explorer Windows+e or by previewing the data package contents in the download link above. Navigate to the \vector\ folder in the data package.)

Working with shapefiles

Data Sources