Map Content – Guide to a successful map project part 6
When I talk with clients, the first thing I do after finding out what kind of map they need, how they want to use it, and what coverage area they need, is to talk about what they want to show.
In this issue I’ll talk about base map data and where to find it.
The dataset I commonly use for most small- to medium-scale map projects is Natural Earth data. It is a wonderful public domain collection of vector and raster data available at several scales. Volunteers spend hundreds of hours compiling, editing, and updating the data. It is updated fairly regularly.
For larger scales I often use OpenStreetMap data. It’s crowd-sourced and free to use under an open licence. I sometimes download specific data directly from the website above, or with MAPublisher which uses MapTiler to download OSM data.
Geofabrik has OSM extracts packaged for download. BBBike allows you to define an area for download. All OSM data must be cited.
USGS is a wonderful resource for U.S. data, and some of the data I use is public domain but some requires citation. You can zoom to an area of interest and select multiple datasets for download.
GeoGratis and GeoBase have geospatial data for Canada, available under an open data licence.
If designing a map for a municipality, I ask if they have datasets they want to use. They often have datasets available under an open data licence, or they may ask you to sign a data sharing agreement before sending you the datasets. Just remember to cite the data as per their requirements.
But be sure to check the usage terms and citation requirements for every dataset you want to use. If no usage information can be found, you can contact the dataset owner to request permission.
As an example of how I use these data sources, I may use Natural Earth, OSM, GeoBase, or USGS (depending on scale) for political, administrative, or area borders:
- country borders
- region/county/province/state borders
- neighbourhood, district, delivery area, etc.
- land use (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.)
- city borders
- parks
- cities (points)
or for physical features:
- rivers
- lakes, seas, oceans
- forests
- contour lines
- bathymetry
- relief imagery
For transportation layers I stick to OSM and municipal datasets. They don’t always agree so I check with my client to confirm which is correct. And each has different categorizations for each data type. These usually require a lot of editing to make them useful for cartographic purposes.
- highways, primary (arterial) and secondary (collector) roads
- residential roads, alleys, lanes, service roads
- railways
- bridges
- trails, pedestrian walkways, park paths, cycling network
- transit routes, stops, and facilities
So there is a LOT that goes into finding, compiling, selecting, and editing the appropriate data sources and datasets for each map project. And that’s just the base map!
The next newsletter will talk about data specific to each client’s project, such as points of interest, and other information to show around the map.
Contact me
If you are ready to start your mapping project, contact me for a free consultation.