Module 7: Choropleth & Proportional Symbol Mapping

This week we created a choropleth map with proportional symbols layered on top of the map. The map shows population density of Europe (per square kilometer), with wine consumption (in liters/capita) overlayed on top of the population map. Included are also two inset maps, one for male and one for female population percentages.

For the population density map I chose yellow to red color scheme, as the colors are easy to distinguish from each other, and standout well against the blue background. For male/female map insets I chose blue and pink color gradients to easily identify male and female maps.

The map was created in ArcMap, though the wine bottle symbol used was adjusted in Corel. All choropleth maps were created using the Symbology/Quantities/Graduated Colors menu. In case of population density I used Quantile data classification, as it showed the most variation on the map. With male/female insets, I used natural breaks classification. For wine consumption I used Symbology/Quantities/Graduated Symbols menu. I used graduated symbols, as proportional symbols covered too much of the map, and they were difficult to distinguish from each other.