Bivariate Choropleth Map- Poverty statistics of America

This bivariate map is very interesting as it portrays the 50 states of the U.S. and the distribution of poverty in the states.  There seems to be a dividing line in the middle of the country, with the Northern half of the country experiencing very low poverty rates, while the Southern half of the country experiencing very high poverty rates.  One might often think the opposite of what the data portrays, with the favorable climate of the south, yet the numbers don't lie.
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/oct/07_0091.htm

Univariate Choropleth map

A univariate choropleth map is one that displays a single variable or attribute over a large area, and its magnitude.  The data is displayed generally by a similar color scheme.  This map shows the distribution of hay throughout counties in the United States.  The counties with the most hay are shaded a dark green, with counties producing less hay outlined in light green.
http://www.nass.usda.gov/

Planimetric Map

A planimetric map shows how a developed area has been planned and zoned.  It portrays features such as roads industrial buildings, residential buildings, etc.  It ignores topography, and vegetation, only showing the anthropocentric nature of the geographic area portrayed.  This is a planimetric map of a location in North Carolina.
http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/highway/photo/Products/Planimetric_maps_default.

Standardized Choropleth map- GDP

A standardized choropleth map compares a similar data set or variable shared by different places through a systematic classification system.  The map above show a comparison of GDP throughout the countries of the world.  The countries with high GDP are filled in dark blue, while the countries with low GDP are colored light blue
http://www.componentone.com/SuperProducts/MapsSilverlight/

Classed Choropleth map

The map above is an example of a classed choropleth map.  Maps of this type display data through a color visualization method.  Each color correlates to a certain range of data output for a certain county.  This classed choropleth map portrays beef cattle emissions in 18992 in all the counties in North Carolina.  The deeper in the red the county gets, the higher they're emissions are.
http://personal.uncc.edu/lagaro/2101/2101_ProjectsS2001/beefmethaneJMK.gif

Cadastral map

A cadastral map shows how a geographic area is developed, or plans got be developed.    It shows the locations of roads, buildings, infrastructure, rivers, greenways, etc.  A cadastral map can be very useful in places like theme parks, malls, and college campuses.
http://www.spaceage.co.in/cadastral-surveys.php

Propaganda map

A propaganda map is a visual falsification of anything, as to influence people to think a certain way.   This map has a very American view, as it classifies the world according to Ronald Reagan.  It is very bias toward U.S. interests, which is clear with how large the United States appears on the map.
http://bigthink.com/ideas/21087

Dot distribution map- The Wal-Mart virus

A dot distribution map shows a distribution of data by placing a dot in the location representing the data.  THis dot distribution map shows the growth of Wal-Mart in the U.S.  It is referred to as the Wal-Mart virus, because of the rapid growth and expansion of Wal-Mart.
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~jeff/gis/proportional_symbols.html

Proportional circles map

A proportional circles map is one that compares data of different places through a spread of circles.  The larger the circle is, the greater the magnitude of data.  In this proportional circles map, internet usage throughout Europe is being portrayed.
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~jeff/gis/proportional_symbols.html

Cartographic Animation

A cartographic animation is an image portraying real time movement of features like weather, wind, hurricanes, etc over a geographic.  The image above is of a band of rain moving through Louisiana.  It was taken from a loop, which shows real  time weather when viewed.
http://www.gearthblog.com/images/images1006/noaa.jpg

Bivariate Choropleth map- Purple America

A bivariate choropleth map compares two different variables of data as one visualization.  The two sets are generally differentiated by color.  The image above is known as Purple America.  It shows the voting results of the 2004 election divided between Democrats and Republicans.  The purple areas represent places where the political preferences are very diverse, and there is not a strong presence of one or the other, but rather equal distribution.
http://www.princeton.edu/~rvdb/JAVA/election2004/purple_america_2004.gif

Concept map- Climate change

A concept map is a very simple way to visually portray ideas.  It starts with a central concept box, with components branching off making up and proving the concept.  In this concept map, the central point is climate change.  The author of the map then makes branches about how it is caused, evidence of it, and how it can be managed.  A concept map is a useful tool when trying to develop a research topic, or make a plan.
http://library.uvic.ca/site/lib/instruction/research/devtopic.html

Scatter plot

A scatter plot is a visual representation of correlating data sets.  A scatter plot is similar to a bar or line graph, with a slightly different presentation.  This scatter plot shows how a group of people's weight corresponds to their height.  The scatter plot shows that generally, as height increases, so does weight.  However, there is some outlier data on both ends of the graph.
http://courses.statistics.com/software/Excel/XLpul3.htm

Population profile of the United Arab Emirates

This population profile greatly intrigued me so I decided to share it.  It is comparing population differences in regards to sex and age in the United Arab Emirates.  It is interesting to note that in the early and late stages of life, the male population is nearly equal the female population.  However, in the middle stages of life, the male population more than doubles the female population.  Is this due to the ethical standards of the UAE? Very interesting to note.
http://www.populationaction.org/Publications/Reports/
The_Shape_of_Things_to_Come/Chapter
_Six_Subtypes_and_a_Speculative_Structure.shtml

Lorenz curve- income in the U.S.

The map above demonstrates a Lorenz curve, a connected curved line of data points relating one set to another.  This Lorenz curve shows the distribution of income among house holds in the United States.  As you can see, there is clearly a misbalance in distribution of income, with only about 20 percent of households making almost 50 percent of the total income.
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/restrict.asp?path=archive/19_03/inte193.shtml

Nominal Area Choropleth map

The image above is a great example of a nominal area choropleth map.  Maps of this type represent nominal data in unrelated geographic areas.  Nominal data can be data regarding gender, race, class, ethnicity, etc.  This is a map of several European countries, and the colors have no rhyme or reason to them, they each represent data of that individual country.
http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~matt/courses/cs563/talks/nominal_data/geopolitical.gif

Unstandardized Choropleth map

The above image is an example of an unstandardized choropleth map.  This type of map is useful to display statistics for a large area like a state or country.  However, it is not always representative of the more local levels of populations, like counties or towns.  This map shows the percent change of the population of each state.  Its visualizatition method is displaying statistics through color.
http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/sttrend.html

Unclassed Chloropleth Map- Lighning Strikes

The above map is an example of an Unclassed Chloropleth Map.  Unclassed chloropleth maps are a good visualization technique to portray statistical data.  This map shows the frequency of lightning strikes in the United States.  Maps of this type represent data through changing shade of color.  In this case, the places with most frequent lightning strikes are pink and orange.
http://www.weather.gov/os/lightning/images/Vaisala_96-05_Flash_Map.gif

Classed Chloropleth map

The map above is an example of a classed chloropleth map.  A classed chloropleth map compares sets of data against each other.  The difference in data is shown through a visual aid, in this case by shades of green.  This map is showing the percentage of Latinos located in each county in Florida.  In this case, the data being compared is Latinos compared to other races in the counties population.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfoEAbf0Q3D1REvs1nC7hSI1UWjl1vM07b7rfhGPi3KCUqz8J_NdvbN8CG19pNgFs7vBlDNar7L_LbAsA_yh7O3lorkj7cAuLyoSLive68jqC-zMoFD2RDv1FbBLVkK8qfticfa4qz78/s320/classed+choropleth+map.gif

DOQQ

DOQQ stands for Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle.  A DOQQ generally shows a aerial photo with UTM coordinates overlain.  The coordinates allow the viewer to have an idea of the geographic size of the land in the photo.  This is an infrared aerial photo of what I believe is Texas.
http://www.fmepedia.com/index.php/Raster_Mosaicking_Scenario

Hyposemetric map

A hyposemetric map is a visual representation of elevation.  It often demonstrates elevation through contouring.  Although, other techniques like shading, and combination with remote sensing images allow these types of maps to be a good representation of their geographic area.  This is a hyposemetric map of the foreign country Bitola's topography
http://www.bitolaonline.com/maps.htm

Triangular plot

A triangular plot is a map showing a data set overlain on a triangle.  It is systematically set up to portray data  through color visualization, and coordinates portraying numerical data.  This triangular plot shows election data. with the percentages and colors portraying how many votes a certain party is projected to reeive.http://www.ex-parrot.com/~chris/wwwitter/20050407-it_doesnt_matter_how_you_vote_either_way_your_planet_is_doomed.html

DEM

DEM stands for digital elevation model.  It is a form of remote sensing that allows  us to visualize the elevation of land.  This DEM image is of some mountains in California.  We can very easily see where the peaks and valleys are in this mountain range.  You can also tell which mountains are higher in elevation with DEM.http://www.humboldt.edu/geology/courses/geology350/350_maps_airphotos.html

Isopleth

An Isopleth map displays a data set through visualization.  In this case, hydrogen ion concentration as measured by ph is being portrayed for the lower 48 U.S.  A scale is given to interpret the colors, and some of the data is presented in the form of numbers directly on the map.http://www.weathernotebook.org/images/winter/3.jpg

Infrared Aerial photograph-San Diego, CA

This is an infrared aerial image of San Diego, California.  It's imagery is the same as a regular aerial photo, but all the color on the map is falsified.  Generally it is returned back as red, and is a useful way to distinguish urban areas from natural areas.  Aerial photography is useful in tracking storm systems and hurricanes as well.http://californiamapsociety.org/mapping/remote.php

Aerial photograph- Downtown Chicago

The image above is an aerial photo of downtown Chicago.  The city is visible, along with the shoreline of Lake Michigan.  Aerial photography reveals a great deal about the geography of an area, along with a detailed picture of the various landforms and vegetation.  In this case, there is no vegetation and the city expands in all directions.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_Downtown_Aerial_View.jpg

Isotach

An Isotach map is one that displays lines of equal wind speed.  This isotach shows the wind speeds in the Southeast U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. AN isotach also displays the direction from which the wind is moving.  This image shows converging winds in the center because an area of low pressure is forming.   http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1456&tstamp=&page=5

Isohyets-Hurricane Camille

The map above is know as an isohyet map.  Isohyets are lines of equal precipitation.  The image above portrays isohyets from Hurricane Camille in Virginia.  Generally, the heavier lines of precipitation are in the center of a isohyet image, and as you go outward, precipitation decreases.  The above image measures precipitation in inches, and some areas received up to 25 inches of precipitation.http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1999/ofr-99-0518/ofr-99-0518.html

DRG- Denver, CO

DRG stands for digital raster graphic.  A DRG map like the one displayed above is a scan from the USGS series of topographic maps.  The scan displays all the cartographic information, as well as spatial data.  This is a DRG map of Denver, CO in 1899.  The newer USGS maps are much more detailed and most likely more accurate.http://www.ghostdepot.com/rg/maps/drg%20map%201899%20red.jpg

DLG

The map above is an example of a DLG (digital line graph) map.  A DLG is a  digital visualization of  geographic areas.  For example, this is a map of roadways and rivers surrounding a ranch.  Based on this visual aid, a traveller can get an idea of what the land looks like.http://dlgranch.com/location.html

Range graded proportional circles map

A range graded proportional circles map shows a display of data through a distribution of circles or red dots.  The map above shows the Hispanic population throughout the United States.  Each dot equals a population of 100,000 hispanics.https://www.e-education.psu.edu/natureofgeoinfo/book/export/html/1553

Flow Map- How to get ready for school

A flow map, like the one above is a map simply depicting a flow or progressive movement.  A flow map starts with a central point, and ideas or steps stem from the central point, and begin to flow and build on each other to reach a final product.  This map shows the flow of a student's morning at Frankley School.  It begins with the central point of waking up at 7: 15 am, and flows through a series of steps until the final product is reached.  In this case the final product is arriving at school.http://frankley.school.nz/uploads/images/flowmap_lge.jpg

Box Plot

This is a box plot, or a box and whisker plot.  In this case, the data being measured is the essay scores of a control group, and an experimental group.  The boxes show where most of the data falls.  For example, the blue box in the Ed tech Science category shows that most test takers in the control group scored between 1.00 and 3.00 with 2.00 being most common.  The outlier data, or whiskers show that although the majority scored between 1.00 and 3.00, some test takers scored as low as 0.00, and as high as 5.00.  Therefore, a box plot is a useful visual tool to display a data set.
http://www.etips.info/papers/2experimental.html

Cartogram- GDP per capita of the world.

This map represents a cartogram.  The boundaries of a cartogram are exaggerated to show a relationship between the data as to which boundary has more or less of something.  In this cartogram, the world is shown, and the countries with the highest GDP per capita are enlarged, and colored red.  The countries with the least GDP per capita are downsized and colored blue.  As you can see, the United States is greatly exaggerated and takes up more land area than South America, Australia, Japan, and South Korea combined.  This is obviously not true, but gets the point across that the U.S. is a strong economic country.http://ibgeog2009.wikispaces.com/Economic_Interactions

PLSS map of FL, AL, LA

The map above illustrates the Public Land Survey System.  PLSS is a useful way to subdivide land into plots for ownership purposes. Each red square on the map represents a township, which is 6 miles wide by 6 miles wide.  Each township is then subdivided again into 36 equal sections, measuring 1 mile by 1 mile.  This individual map shows  how land is divided in the Florida panhandle, Alabama, and Louisiana.  The purple outline represents Franklin county, Alabama.http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alfrankl/landrecords.htm

Bilateral Graph

This is an example of a bilateral graph.  A bilateral graph can show 2 or more different sets of data on the same graph.   This graph shows trade of clean energy products between the United States and China.  The blue bars indicate exports, while the white bars indicate imports.  The red bars show the trade deficit.  It  is clear, that the US has been importing far more clean energy products than it has exported from 2006 to 2010.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/10/china-and-international-rules-self-interested-or-malign/64747/

LIDAR- Ground Zero

Lidar, stands for Light detection and ranging.  Lidar maps  are a good way to show elevation without using direct photography.  Buildings can be shown, as one side of the building lies in shadow and can be depicted by lidar.  This is a before and after lidar image of ground zero in NYC.  You can seethe two towers in the first image, and the absence of them in the second replaced with piles of rubble.http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/911/911-maps.html

Wind Rose Map

The image above is a wind rose.  A wind rose is a useful tool for  meteorologists and forecasters,  interested in wind patterns for certain areas at certain times.  It is a circular plot, meant to be inset over a compass.  Each orbital represents a higher frequency of wind, with the center being zero.  The shading is meant to show direction the wind is blowing from. with the center being the originhttp://www.kids.esdb.bg/wind.html

Mental Map of Disney

This is a mental map of Disney's Magic Kingdom.  A mental map is  a map drawn of a certain area as to give the viewer a vague sense of directionality, and the location of important landmarks, (in this case the various attractions around disney) but generally mental maps are not drawn to scale, and landmarks are not drawn to proportion.  http://www.wdwtourguide.com/Disney-World-Park-Magic-Kingdom.html

Stem and Leaf plot

A stem and leaf plot is a visually appealing way of showing a  fairly large numerical data set.  The stem, represents a defined group of leaves, or the individual pieces of data.  This stem and leaf plot shows the heart rate of 21 students after 1 minute of jumping jacks.  each stem defines 10  units of heart rate, starting at 60 and ending at 150.  As you can tell, the majority of student heart rates fall between 80 and 120 beats per minute

http://www.geo.utexas.edu/faculty/barker/kempter/rbtephra.html

Isopach map- Volcanoes

This isopach map depicts the Rio Blanco tephra volcanic crater.   The  volcano has erupted, and the isopachs (connected circular lines) mark the extent of the ash and debris.  The smaller, brighter isopachs indicate areas closest to the eruption center, where there will most likely be heavy ash and debris.  The farther, wider Isopachs indicate areas where the eruption might reach, but the particulates and ash from the volcano not be very thick.  These maps account for environmental conditions like wind, rain, etc.http://www.geo.utexas.edu/faculty/barker/kempter/rbtephra.html

Climograph-Lincoln, NE

The image above is a visual aid known as a climograph.  Climographs depict yearly averages like temperature and precipitation on a monthly basis.  This graph draw's its averages from a 30 year data set, as to not be bias toward any particular year.  This graph shows a sharp increase in temperature during the summer months, corresponding with an increase in the amount of precipitation during the same season.http://snr.unl.edu/data/climate/moisture.asp

Thematic map depicting population in the Eastern U.S.

This image is that of a thematic map.  A thematic map is a tool that lets us view data (such as population data from the U.S. census bureau) graphically.  This thematic map gives us the median age of nearly half the states in the country as was reported through the 2000 census.  It is interesting to note that Florida is the lone southern state to have a median age above 37.1.http://www.lib.wsc.ma.edu/censusaff.htm

Topographic map of the Adirondacks

This is a topographic map of a region in the Adirondack mountains.  Though the map is flat, we are able to visualize the topography of the land thanks to contouring.  Each line on the map represents a contour line.  The circles in the middle mark mountain peaks, and each surrounding contour marks a rise or fall in elevation.  Lines that are very close together indicate steep elevation, whereas lines that are farther apart represent a gentle downslope.  The main contour lines are marked with a number indicating elevation of that point in feet.
http://www.adirondacknorthway.net/mappages/mount_marcytopo.php

Infrared satellite imagery of Hurricane Katrina

This is a map of hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico, as seen from an infrared satellite.  Infrared  satellite senses temperatures at surface level and temperatures of cloud tops.  The colder cloud tops are returned as lighter colors.  This signals higher, thicker, more intense cloud tops.  As the clouds warm and become thinner, the reflectivity fades from the bright whites, to red and green as seen form this image.  Infrared radar can have many different color schemes, this is just one.
http://saams.com/Katrina/Katrina.htm

Population profile of Blacksburg Virginia

This is a population profile map of Blacksburg, Virginia.  It is represented as a pie chart, and puts population data into viewable information.  The more numbers a certain age group had at the time, the larger the piece of pie became.  Besides serving as just a visual aid, the percent of the total population each age group comprises is overlain onto the map.  This type of map can be a useful tools to planners, advertisers, and marketers when deciding how to cater to a certain town.
http://www.blacksburgpartnership.org/demographics.html

Map overlain with Doppler Radar

This is a map of the Texas coastline at the time of a landfalling hurricane.  Doppler Radar allows us to see the structure and the intensity of the precipitation.  The radar returns brighter colors based on how heavy the objects it projects off of are.  Therefore, heavy rain comes through as yellow and orange, while lighter rain is generally a green to light green color.  Note the eye of the hurricane is being depicted very well by the radar.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s1192.htm

Star plot of stars in relation to the sun

The figure shown above is a map of the stars in relation to the sun.  The yellow ball in the center is the sun, and the stars are marked on the orbitals surrounding the sun.  The farther a star is from the center, the farther it is from the sun.  This is a good way of giving a spatial description of a part of the solar system we can not see.
http://lifeng.lamost.org/courses/astrotoday/CHAISSON/NAV/FRAMESET/FRAME17/IDX17-01.HTM

Isobar map conveying areas of low pressure around Europe.

This map shows us the isobars associated with low pressure.  Isobars are lines of equal pressure, and the tighter the gradient between them, the windier it is.  Strong low pressure systems tend to have a tighter pressure gradient between the isobars.  This can be seen on this map as the 990 mb low has much tighter lines than the 1005 mb low.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.malagawetter.de/karten/fronten_gross.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.malagaweather.com/wellen.html&usg=__GHqH7ze82g31VVOoY_snTHcc-Po=&h=550&w=750&sz=43&hl=en&start=91&sig2=YmwyvezWs06WtNEIycvxtA&zoom=1&tbnid=tdx1bCrkgLlr7M:&tbnh=136&tbnw=185&ei=ZtLgTPC6FoGingflt_WhDw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DIsobar%2Bmap%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D604%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C2380&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=138&oei=QtLgTI7uFIH-8AaBmbGDDw&esq=7&page=6&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:91&tx=7&ty=59&biw=1280&bih=604