Sunday, April 06, 2008
I have now fixed almost everything in what should have been called the GMU GIS Labs Map I fixed the rollover issue so now the content appears when you roll over the button. I have changed the toolbar icons to copies of the World Ball. This repairs the potential problem of having one symbol representing more than one category on the map.
The buffers have been a problem from the beginning. I have probably spent more time on them than any other one part of the map. The color is hard. There needs to be contrast between the buffers and what lies below them at the same time not so overpowering as to mask what what lies underneath. Some of the lighter colors I tried actually had a reflective quality that made them useless. Per suggestion in class I have changed the color of the buffer outlines which I hoped would make them more defined and easier to see. Please tell me what you think. The other glaring problem with the buffers I will address below.
The cars are now slower than they were. There are two cars which have been slowed down to the max level allowed by Flash (-100 ease) but which still appear to be speeding along at break-neck speed. This is a function of the distance they are traveling and the time span in which they have to complete the journey. All are traveling within the same time span, hence the difference in speed. I do think that the variation in speeds is a plus because people can pick out patterns and rhythms quickly. If all the cars were stopping and starting together and traveling at the same speed it would be a boring feature. Variability keeps interest alive. I have kept down the number of cars in order to keep them from being too distracting.
I have toned down the symbol for Highway 267. It is now the same color white as the rest of the map.
I have left the military bases as green. Pretty much all of the bases that I have visited are green, with the exception of the Naval Base in Norfolk which is all concrete and gray buildings. I think the color is good representation of the bases so I left it alone.
I have not messed with finding a replacement for the Google image. I am still on dial-up out here in Booneyville and will take the time to find a new image this week.
This section perhaps should have been at the front but here it is. I was assigned this map as an exercise for this class and also as a project for the GIS Department. I did not produce the maps. I provided the display and animation. The biggest problem has been color selection and an issue with the buffers.
The maps came to me as finished GIS projects from another student and not as data sets. The colors and class divisions were not my choice and I couldn't really change them. That didn't bother me as much as the problem with the buffers. Buffers that are meant to be a 10 mile radius should be circles and not ovals. This problem has not been resolved at the time of this writing. I have requested new buffers, but if his schedule has been anything like mine I can understand the delay. If I get a new layer from him I will gladly process it, but the semester being where it is I don't know if this will happen.
I should say that the maps as they came to me were beautiful. I ran into trouble when I began trying to layer things which requires the ability to contrast things in the layers.
The buffers have been a problem from the beginning. I have probably spent more time on them than any other one part of the map. The color is hard. There needs to be contrast between the buffers and what lies below them at the same time not so overpowering as to mask what what lies underneath. Some of the lighter colors I tried actually had a reflective quality that made them useless. Per suggestion in class I have changed the color of the buffer outlines which I hoped would make them more defined and easier to see. Please tell me what you think. The other glaring problem with the buffers I will address below.
The cars are now slower than they were. There are two cars which have been slowed down to the max level allowed by Flash (-100 ease) but which still appear to be speeding along at break-neck speed. This is a function of the distance they are traveling and the time span in which they have to complete the journey. All are traveling within the same time span, hence the difference in speed. I do think that the variation in speeds is a plus because people can pick out patterns and rhythms quickly. If all the cars were stopping and starting together and traveling at the same speed it would be a boring feature. Variability keeps interest alive. I have kept down the number of cars in order to keep them from being too distracting.
I have toned down the symbol for Highway 267. It is now the same color white as the rest of the map.
I have left the military bases as green. Pretty much all of the bases that I have visited are green, with the exception of the Naval Base in Norfolk which is all concrete and gray buildings. I think the color is good representation of the bases so I left it alone.
I have not messed with finding a replacement for the Google image. I am still on dial-up out here in Booneyville and will take the time to find a new image this week.
This section perhaps should have been at the front but here it is. I was assigned this map as an exercise for this class and also as a project for the GIS Department. I did not produce the maps. I provided the display and animation. The biggest problem has been color selection and an issue with the buffers.
The maps came to me as finished GIS projects from another student and not as data sets. The colors and class divisions were not my choice and I couldn't really change them. That didn't bother me as much as the problem with the buffers. Buffers that are meant to be a 10 mile radius should be circles and not ovals. This problem has not been resolved at the time of this writing. I have requested new buffers, but if his schedule has been anything like mine I can understand the delay. If I get a new layer from him I will gladly process it, but the semester being where it is I don't know if this will happen.
I should say that the maps as they came to me were beautiful. I ran into trouble when I began trying to layer things which requires the ability to contrast things in the layers.
// posted by Elizabeth Hull @ 7:44 AM 
