4.3. Assignment 1

Open your existing map project and revise it thoroughly. If you have noticed small errors or things you'd have liked to fix earlier, do so now.

While customizing your map, keep asking yourself questions. Is this map easy to read and understand for someone who's unfamiliar with the data? If I saw this map on the Internet, or on a poster, or in a magazine, would it capture my attention? Would I want to read this map if it wasn't mine?

If you're doing this course at a Basic or Intermediate level, read up on techniques from the more advanced sections. If you see something you'd like to do in your map, why not try to implement it?

If this course is being presented to you, the course presenter may require you to submit a final version of your map, exported to PDF, for evaluation. If you're doing this course by yourself, it's recommended that you evaluate your own map using the same criteria. Your map will be evaluated on the overall appearance and symbology of the map itself, as well as the appearance and layout of the map page and elements. Remember that the emphasis for evaluating the appearance of maps will always be ease of use. The nicer the map is to look at and the easier it is to understand at a glance, the better.

Happy customizing!

4.3.1. In Conclusion

The first four modules have taught you how to create and style a vector map. In the next four modules, you'll learn how to use QGIS for a complete GIS analysis. This will include creating and editing vector data; analyzing vector data; using and analyzing raster data; and using GIS to solve a problem from start to finish, using both raster and vector data sources.