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Cartography & GIS
Creating Visually Pleasing Maps
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Cartography is extremely important is it relates to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) solutions since GIS is essentially “mapping.” Just as datasets need to be accurate, it is essential that cartographic maps begin with data. The GIS experts at Digital Data Services, Inc. (DDS) are not only technicians, they are artists. It is this factor that distinguishes DDS’s cartography work from our competitors.
"As great authors compose classics, celebrated cartographers write stories through maps."- Tom Neer, DDS Cartographer
DDS can provide your custom map project in hard-copy and in digital formats. We employ a variety of GIS and graphic design software to create beautiful cartographic presentations. The delivered data can be in raster or vector format and layered by feature type for easy manipulation by the end-user. Best of all, for most projects, the customer owns the rights to reproduce and modify the map.
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Gas Pipeline Map
Gas Pipeline Map
Client:
Bentek Energy, LLC
Purpose:Create a custom map showing all major natural gas pipelines and major trading hubs in the North America. Bentek Energy distributed over 8,000 of the maps at a national energy trade show as a marketing piece.
Processes/Services:Bentek Energy supplied DDS with MapInfo .tab files of all the major natural gas pipelines in North America. These files were extremely varied in detail and quality. Being that this map was intended for marketing and not navigation or directly locating pipelines a great deal of artistic license was used.
The .tab files were translated into ESRI .shp files for editing. Many of the pipelines were simplified down to their main trunklines features. This was nessecary due to the sheer number (80+) of pipelines. Using a smoothing algorithm in ET Geowizards the pipelines were smoothed out to have a more artisitic look. Once the pipelines had been edited to an acceptable level they were exported out of ArcMap as .dxf files.
The .dxf files were imported into Adobe Illustrator CS2 where a shaded relief base map was added and the final map layout was created. Ther final map was printed on a Rollabana, a vinyl self-rolling promotional banner.
Deliverable to Client:.psd, .ai and .pdf files.
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Atlanta Falcons Demographic Map
Season Ticket Demographic Map
Client:
The Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
Pupose:DDS was tasked to create several demographic maps showing the location of current season ticket holders, along with the number of season ticket holders, within a particular zip code and/or county. The map was color coded to show market saturation and the final maps were used for market analysis and presentation.
Processes/Services:DDS obtained a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet from the Atlanta Falcons which included a zip code and the number of season ticket holders within that zip code. DDS used GIS to geocode the spreadsheet so that the information became part of a spatial dataset used for creating the custom maps. Some of the final delivered products included a map showing concentration of season ticket holders within particular zip code and county regions, a map showing the average ticket price for a particular zip code region, and a map showing the Atlanta Falcons fan base.
Deliverable to Client:Adobe .ai and .pdf files
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Real Estate Map
Real Estate Property Map
Client:
Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield
Pupose:Provide Orvis/C & W with unique and exciting maps of their ranch properties to be included in marketing materials.
Processes/Services:Beginning with client supplied legal descriptions or hard copy maps with the property boundaries outlined DDS created boundary polygons to be used in the maps. This was achieved through using COGO or scanning and georeferncing the hard copy maps. The hand drawn property outlines were digitized into vector data file. The shaded relief is derived from 10-meter USGS NED data and clipped to the project extents in Global Mapper. The elevation data is imported into Golden Software Surfer for hypsometric tinting and to assign the perspective views.
Various source vector data (such as hydrology and road networks) are processed and clipped in ESRI ArcGIS and imported into Golden Software's Surfer to be overlaid in on the elevation data. The resulting layers were exported individually for final compostion and compilation in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
Deliverable to Client:.psd and .pdf files.
