Accuracy of Thematic Maps / Implications of Choropleth Symbolization

Bibliographic Data

ID14701752
AuthorsAlan M Maceachren (0000-0002-0356-7323, University of Colorado / Boulder / Colorado, corresponding author)
Year1985
Volume22
Issue1
Pages38-58
Publication date1985-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCartographica The International Journal for Geographic Information and Geovisualization (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0317-7173 • E-ISSN: 1911-9925
PublisherUniversity of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3138/y481-6j14-8802-g755
OpenAlexW2037001207
LanguageEN
Citations received4

Accuracy of thematic maps is identified as having two components: planimetric accuracy and data representation accuracy. The first is of only minor concern for thematic maps. Data representation accuracy, however, is at least as significant to map effectiveness as are the perceptual and cognitive aspects of map reading that have been given so much attention in recent years. The focus of the study presented is on data representation accuracy considering the specific case of choropleth maps. It is demonstrated that three factors, enumeration unit size, enumeration unit compactness, and variability of the distributions mapped are significant in determining enumeration unit aggregate value accuracy and, therefore, map accuracy. Based on experimental results, it is suggested that potential accuracy of choropleth maps could be predicted through measurement of these characteristics. A second experiment is used to demonstrate the applicability of this method to predicting overall choropleth map accuracy as well as the geographic distribution of any error present in the map

Cartography · Enumeration · Geography · Representation (politics · Statistics · Thematic map · Computer Science · Data Management and Algorithms · Data Visualization and Analytics · Geographic Information Systems Studies · Mathematics

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