Chapter 1: Chapter one is a basic overview of the various ways to sort, analyze, and display information in GIS software. It covered the process of selecting and understanding your data, as well as all the ways to manipulate and display said data. I found the different “types of features” particularly interesting because they made intuitive sense to me and it was cool to see the different ways various types of data can be displayed. I was already vaguely familiar with the concept of vector and raster images, having used a number of different digital art programs, but it was interesting to see how that difference was represented in the much more analytical GIS software. I understand the concepts behind the various types of Geographic attributes, but I don’t fully comprehend all the ways in which these can be combined to produce different results. Presumably understanding will come with practice and experience, and I look forward to that. I worry that I will not remember all the different ways data tables can be used, as there are quite a few specific functions listed in the chapter. I understand the theory behind each of the various operations but I am sure that I will not remember them well enough to apply them to GIS without further study.
Chapter 2: Chapter two is about the process of mapping itself. It covers the basics of how to prepare the data and create the map, as well as various tips and strategies you can use to make your maps easier to understand. The chapter discussed the various uses of highly detailed maps vs more general ones. The chapter explained how unnecessarily over-detailed maps can in fact reduce clarity and make the map harder to understand, so in situations where granularity is not needed, it is best avoided. The explanation Geographic coordinates and how GIS uses them was clear and understandable, as well as the demonstration of using various types and categories to display different related types of information. What I most appreciated about this chapter was the advice it gave on how to create good maps. Advice about how detailed and granular to make the map, how many categories to include, how large of an area to cover etc. was all very helpful and interesting to learn about.
Chapter 3: I was initially confused about the concept of “the most and least” but the book did an excellent job of explaining it. The term itself was kind of confusing but I understand it now as simply including quantity in the analysis process, which makes a lot of sense and I can think of many ways that might be helpful. Additionally its use in summarizing data to be more easily understandable at a glance is also very helpful in the creation of usable maps. The various uses for counts, amounts, and ratios are now also clearer to me, as is the use of classes to simplify maps into more easily understandable divisions. Yet again it comes down to a question of granularity. In some cases, individual values may be necessary to provide detailed information for precise areas, but for other situations like public discussion or presentation, that kind of granularity is unhelpful and confusing. The standard classification schemes and their various uses are also a very helpful tool to know about. The section about choosing a classification scheme is particularly helpful in this regard and likely something I will refer back to many times during the course.