24 replies to this topic

[Geographic Techniques]

This may sound a bit cheesy, but why didn't Wisconsin get the ortho-typo effect?

Very cool.

Doug

[Matthew Hampton]

Well done Nat!

This may sound a bit cheesy, but why didn't Wisconsin get the ortho-typo effect?

I think it did.

It looks like Chris and Nat used Gastner and Newman's method for creating cartograms and used an area field associated with the number of names in a state as the univariable.

Since Wisconsin has the same number of letters as Minnesota - they should occupy the same area on the map (and it looks like they do). Although it also looks like they used another factor relating to the total volume of the country. Why isn't California bigger?

[frax]

I might do this for Europe - that might be even more fun, I would love to see the treatment of San Marino, Lichenstein, Luxembourg and others...

[DaveB]

Well done Nat!

This may sound a bit cheesy, but why didn't Wisconsin get the ortho-typo effect?

I think it did.

Except Wis-con-sin is the only name that got chopped up and hyphenated.

Anyway, it's all in fun and Nat did a very good job on short notice (kind of like a mini map challenge).

[natcase]

This may sound a bit cheesy, but why didn't Wisconsin get the ortho-typo effect?

I think it did.

Except Wis-con-sin is the only name that got chopped up and hyphenated.

Anyway, it's all in fun and Nat did a very good job on short notice (kind of like a mini map challenge).

I used the Frank Hardisty's java-based cartogram generator at http://people.cas.sc...stf/cartograms/. I had one very off-looking cartogram the first timeI tried, with Maryland absolutely enormous. I think the District of Columbia (13 letters) really threw it off. The second round I loosened the initial parameters somewhat, and it, well, it looks close. It ignored DC this time, which is probably all for the best. I was doing this on work time, so figured someone else could take the ball and run with it if they felt like it...

Wisconsin was the only state which whole words simply wouldn't fit. Hyphenization does feel like cheating (Chris's initial challenge included not just size but shape), but I needed to move on... I'm writing this from the Las Vegas airport (somewhere between the 4th and 5th circles of Hades, but they have free wireless), on my way to Berkeley.

If anyone else wants to mess atound with settings or a different cartogram engine, please go for it! I used the old ESRI data basic USA states shape, edited the DBF file in Filemaker to add a TEXTLENGTH field [=length(substitute(NAME," ",""))] and reexported as a DBF. The .shp file imports into the cartogram program, and then exports a new .shp file on completion. Brought it into Freehand 11 via MapPublisher (new MapPublisher for AI got installed later the same day...), and there you are, Helvetica and all...

[frax]

Nat, any airport with free wireless, a power plug in a moderately quiet corner (with an ok chair/couch) is close to heaven than Hades in my book... (I haven't had the pleasure to experience the LV airport yet though, only seen it from a distance)

[natcase]

Nat, any airport with free wireless, a power plug in a moderately quiet corner (with an ok chair/couch) is close to heaven than Hades in my book... (I haven't had the pleasure to experience the LV airport yet though, only seen it from a distance)

I didn't say anything about a power port. I didn't see any. But the Heck-ish aspects I was thinking of were:
(1) the remarkable lack of places to eat--I saw very long lines at the Burger King and the Wendy's, and ended up with a pre-made sandwich from a no-name place. Quite possibly the worst $7.50 sandwich I have ever had.
(2) the incessant jingling of the slot machines that are in every terminal area...

Gripe,gripe,gripe...

But Berkeley is nice if damp. Steve Holloway says hi.

[Francis S.]

Conversely, there's "3rd Ave." and "Elm St." that cross the entire city. I call it the Andes effect.

When one block of of a street gets changed to "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd." is fun, too.

I once typed a new development where street names WERE proportional to their length. Must have been laid out by a cartographer.

My favorite development names are where they name the streets after their kids!

For a 7th word, it could be "Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd."

Francis

[miz fellenz]

...I think the District of Columbia (13 letters) really threw it off. The second round I loosened the initial parameters somewhat, and it, well, it looks close. It ignored DC this time, which is probably all for the best...

Talk about taxation without representation! Ouch!!

[MapMedia]

True coolness Nat! My eyes popped open when I saw your response with an attachment! I'll save that one- that's hilarious. I esp like how Alaska respembles a giant, beached squid from the north pole. Squids have oily, inky stuff too, don't they?

My favorite development names are where they name the streets after their kids!

Like when you drive thru a 60's development and the street names are Thomas, Kelly, Margaret, etc.! Its the developer's little bit of graffiti on the earth (I was here). My graffiti are maps!