An Impressionistic Cartographic Solution for Base Map Land Cover with Coarse Pixel Data

Authors

  • Paulo Raposo University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • Cynthia A Brewer Department of Geography, Penn State University
  • Kevin Sparks

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14714/CP83.1351

Keywords:

land cover, topographic mapping, raster upsampling, generalization, enhancement, uncertainty

Abstract

Several everyday cartography applications do not require sharply precise base maps, and in fact benefit from their generalization or deliberate obscuration, such as tourist or transit maps. Additionally, raster data fine enough for a given map scale are not always available. We present a method of creating an impressionistic land cover base map for topographic mapping in which the above two conditions are true, using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) of the US Geological Survey (USGS). The method is based on reclassification, upsampling, constrained randomization at class boundary edges, and deliberate use of colors with very similar lightness values. The method spans both scientific geospatial data treatment and artistic cartographic design, and both generalizes and enhances the data. The processing, automated in ArcGIS™, is detailed, and examples of the product are provided.

 

Downloads

Published

2017-01-03

How to Cite

Raposo, P., Brewer, C. A., & Sparks, K. (2017). An Impressionistic Cartographic Solution for Base Map Land Cover with Coarse Pixel Data. Cartographic Perspectives, (83), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.14714/CP83.1351

Issue

No. 83 (2016)

Section

Peer-Reviewed 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).