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ArcGIS Pro - Cartography - Nov. 9th & 21st, 2025

Overview

The main overarching points covered these projects was the emphasis on identifying specific projections and the importance of meta data when creating high detailed mapping. Proper cartographic skills are essential because it ensures that someone is able to understand the conveyed information without you being there. The map should include all of the things like Pilot, Coordinate System, UAS platform, Sensor, Day, Alt., and Area of observation to enable the reader to understand what was being tested, where, and why. Some other important information that is important to convey and list would be Cell Size, Units, Projection, Highest & Lowest Elevation because it gives the reader an understanding of how to interpret the data being collected and conveyed. These also allow for a better understanding of the limitations of the data and what it can and can’t be used for.

Minnesota Projections

These maps are perfect representations of why it’s important to designate to the reader what projection a data set is in because it can throw everything for a loop otherwise. For example, it can give a skew for the boundaries, and someone could misinterpret it through measurements and several other things. The hardest thing with these was figuring out the software and how to implement projections into the same map as Fig. #1. In addition to this, learning the importance of map creation like this and how to do it is really going to benefit me in the future for projects and jobs of interest.

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Fig. #1: Three different projections of Minnesota

Fig. #1: Three different projections of Minnesota

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Fig. #2: Standard Projection of Minnesota

Fig. #2: Standard Projection of Minnesota

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Wolf Paving Detailed Mapping

These maps are the perfect representation of displaying the same location but in different ways. For example, if someone want to narrow in on a specific point and reference it the best map to utilize would be Fig. #5. If someone wanted to emphasize the Ground Control Points, they would use Fig. #4. Then if someone wanted to show a Digital Surface elevation for the gravel operation and volume calculations, they would need Fig. #3. All of these have their own specific uses and are all as equally important in their own way! Some things that all of these have in common is the set-up of information listing things like meta data, map schematics, location, map intention, map insert (when applicable), scale and north arrow for direction. All of this was really fun to learn but the software learning curve was definitely the biggest learning curve.

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