Cartography Portfolio Project and Review

Cartography Portfolio Project and Review

This lesson is your culminating practice for the Cartography course. You will independently design and produce three professional map sheets, then assess and refine your own work through self-review and peer critique. The portfolio demonstrates that you can apply every major cartographic skill—coordinate reference systems, symbology, labeling, layout design, and quality control—on real project data.

Why a Three-Sheet Portfolio?

Professional GIS technicians and survey technicians rarely produce a single map in isolation. Clients and agencies expect a coordinated map set that tells a complete spatial story. A topographic sheet shows terrain and elevation relationships. A cadastral sheet documents legal boundaries and parcel ownership. A thematic sheet communicates a specific attribute—such as land cover or slope class—clearly and efficiently. Together, the three sheets demonstrate range: you can handle terrain data, legal geometry, and attribute classification in a single project environment.

All three sheets must fit ANSI D format (22 × 34 inches). ANSI D is a standard sheet size recognized across engineering, surveying, and GIS workflows. Using a consistent sheet size signals professionalism and allows direct comparison during review.

Sheet 1: Topographic Map

Your topographic sheet must display contour lines derived from a digital elevation model (DEM) and a hillshade layer beneath the contours to give the viewer a sense of relief. Key decisions include contour interval selection (match the relief and map scale—too coarse loses detail, too fine creates visual noise), contour labeling at regular intervals using a mask or halo so text is readable, and hillshade transparency (typically 30–50 percent so contours remain legible).

Set your coordinate reference system (CRS) before any other step. Choose a projected CRS appropriate to the project area—State Plane or UTM are typical for surveying and GIS work in the US. Every layer must share the same CRS. Mismatched CRS causes misalignment that will fail the QC rubric criterion.

Marginalia required on every sheet: title, north arrow, scale bar (not just a representative fraction), legend, CRS and datum statement, source and date of data, and your name or organization. Missing any element costs points on the rubric.

Sheet 2: Cadastral/Parcel Map

The cadastral sheet documents legal boundaries. Parcel polygons should use a thin, consistent boundary symbol. Parcel IDs or owner names are labeled inside polygons using Maplex or the standard label engine with duplicate-label suppression active. Where parcels are too small to hold a label, use a leader-line callout.

Accuracy is non-negotiable on cadastral work. Verify that parcel boundaries close (no gaps or overlaps in the source data) before you style the layer. If the geodatabase has topology errors, flag them in your self-assessment rather than ignoring them—acknowledging a known deficiency honestly is part of professional QC practice.

Include a legal description or data source note in the marginalia so a viewer knows which recorded plat or assessor dataset was used. Cadastral maps often become exhibits in legal proceedings; their provenance must be traceable.

Sheet 3: Thematic Map

Your thematic sheet communicates a single attribute. Common choices for this project include land-cover classification or slope classification derived from the DEM. Choose a classification method—Natural Breaks (Jenks), Quantile, or Equal Interval—that matches your data distribution and your communication goal. Natural Breaks groups similar values and is often the most defensible choice for continuous data.

Select a color scheme appropriate to the data type. Sequential schemes (light to dark, one hue) suit ordered data such as slope percentage. Diverging schemes suit data with a meaningful midpoint. Qualitative schemes suit nominal categories such as land-cover types. Use ColorBrewer-style palettes that remain interpretable when printed in grayscale, because many field copies are printed that way.

The legend on a thematic map is critical—each class must be labeled with its value range or category name, not just a color patch.

Self-Assessment Before Submission

Before handing in any sheet, complete the course rubric yourself. For each criterion, write one sentence explaining where in your layout that criterion is satisfied, or honestly flag it if it is not. This annotation is submitted with the portfolio. Instructors use it to understand your reasoning, and it trains the habit of systematic QC that employers expect.

Portfolio Critique Session

You will present your three sheets to a small group. Peer reviewers use the same rubric. Keep feedback specific and evidence-based: point to the layout element in question, cite the rubric criterion, and suggest a concrete fix. Vague comments such as "looks good" or "needs work" are not useful. After the session, you have one class period to revise and resubmit.

Export and Production Quality

Export each sheet as a PDF at 300 DPI minimum. If a large-format plotter is available, print at least one sheet to verify that line weights and text sizes are correct at full scale—on-screen previews can hide problems that appear at print size. Check that all fonts are embedded in the PDF so the file renders correctly on any computer.

Safety and Equipment Notes

Large-format plotters use high-voltage components and moving carriage parts. Do not reach into the plotter while it is operating. Load media according to the manufacturer's procedure. If a paper jam occurs, power the plotter off before clearing the jam to avoid injury from the carriage. Ink cartridges and cleaning solution may contain irritants; handle them with nitrile gloves and wash hands after contact. These are standard safe-work practices for reprographics equipment in any professional office.