Aug 6, 2020 · In this chapter, the materials provided a context on map symbols and visual variables. You learned about map symbols, visual variables, and color as they relate to cartography. The lesson also provided information on two …

Visual variables include size, shape, orientation, texture, color hue, and color value, and are used to differentiate data symbols on a map. By applying visual variables effectively, the mapmaker can meaningfully relay the map data in a way that can be easily understood by the reader.

Visual variables are “the differences in map elements as perceived by the human eye” (wiki.gis.com). No matter what the type of map, these are the fundamental ways in which graphic symbols can be distinguished.

Choosing Symbols for Maps. Understanding your data’s spatial dimensions, geographic model, and levels of measurement will help you select which visual variables to use in your map. Recall the table of visual variables we first encountered in Lesson 1 (Figure 6.5.1).

The use of visual variables on maps depends on two main things: (a) type of the presented variable, and (b) type of the map layer. Figure 6.1 shows examples of different visual variables. Color is the most universal visual variable.

Mar 6, 2017 · Twelve visual variables are introduced and discussed: (1) location, (2) size, (3) shape, (4) orientation, (5) color hue, (6) color value, (7) texture, (8) color saturation, (9) arrangement,...

Using a combination of visual variables (e.g., hue, value, texture) and feature types (point, line, area) allows cartographers to customize and design symbols specific to the data.

"The term ‘visual variables’ is commonly used to describe the various perceived differences in map symbols that are used to represent geographic phenomena." (Slocum, et al. 2009, p. 81). Cartographers should pay special attention to match a design between the different symbols as the smallest details can change how the geographical data is ...

Cartographers developed the visual variable system, a graphic vocabulary, to express these relationships on maps. Map readers respond to the visual variable system in predictable ways, enabling mapmakers to design map symbols for most …

The map in Figure 5.1.1 is a multivariate map. The map visualizes two variables at each location—rent prices, and the number of Section 8 vouchers. These variables are each mapped appropriately individually: first, rental prices are visually encoded with a sequential color scheme, a good symbolization choice for normalized data such as rates.