Beyond Graduated Circles: Varied Point Symbols for Representing Quantitative Data on Maps

Authors

  • Cynthia Brewer Department of Geography Pennsylvania State University
  • Andrew J. Campbell Vance Air Force Base

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14714/CP29.672

Keywords:

quantitative data, graduated circles, point symbols

Abstract

Graduated point symbols are viewed as an appropriate choice for many thematic maps of data associated with point locations. Areal quantitative data, reported by such enumeration units as countries, are frequently presented with choropleth maps but are also well suited to point symbol representations. Our objective is to provide an ordered set of examples of the many point-symbol forms used on maps by showing symbols with linear, areal, and volumetric scaling on repeated small maps of the same data set. Bivariate point symbols are also demonstrated with emphasis on the distinction between symbols appropriate for comparison (separate symbols) and those appropriate for proportional relationships (segmented symbols). In this paper, the variety of point symbol use is described, organized, and encourage, as is research on these varied symbols and their multivariate forms.

Downloads

Published

1998-03-01

How to Cite

Brewer, C., & Campbell, A. J. (1998). Beyond Graduated Circles: Varied Point Symbols for Representing Quantitative Data on Maps. Cartographic Perspectives, (29), 6–25. https://doi.org/10.14714/CP29.672

Issue

No. 29 (1998)

Section

Featured Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).