My site is live! (thanks for all the help)

[StephenLead]

I'm happy to report that the site I've been working on is now live at http://atlas.nsw.gov.au

It's the online version of a 200+ page book which aims to provide loads of information about the state of New South Wales, written by experts across government, industry and academia. The target audience is the general public, including students.

The Atlas Explorer mapping application uses ArcGIS Server 10 and the JavaScript API v2.1 including many of the new features like time-aware layers, feature layers, legends, etc.

It's still in beta mode, so please let me know what you think, and if you run into any errors or problems, so we can fix them ASAP.

Thanks to everyone for the assistance thus far, especially Kelly from the JS team.

Cheers,
Steve

[JeremyBartley]

Great site Stephen!  I really liked the way you organized it.  The UI is very clean and crisp.  I also love the zoom slider you put together.  Are you coming to the dev summit? 

Great work,
Jeremy Bartley
JSAPI team

[KevinBoone]

Congrats on a great, well-organized site, Steve. I really like the topic areas, and how easily you can change from one topic to another.

Maybe you already know, but James Fee gave kudos to your site on his blog:
http://www.spatiallyadjusted.com/2011/02/25/the-world-she-be-a-changing/

[StephenLead]

Kevin and Jeremy,

Thanks for the kind words. I can't take any credit for the site design or article navigation, but I'll pass that on to the guys responsible.

I'll be at the Dev Summit next week, and in fact I'm giving a presentation on the lessons I learnt from this project (Wednesday 11:15am). Come along and say hi if you can.

Jeremy, I'd love to schedule a meeting with you to discuss JSAPI stuff.

Cheers,
Steve

PS after James Fee's post, at one stage we had more visits from the US than from NSW 🙂

[DonovanCameron]

Great web map! Very easy to navigate.

I have one question in regards to associative colours.

I noticed in the map, Indigenous Population [ATTACH]5133[/ATTACH], that the colour used was Orange (but appears brown because of the opacity). I've had discussions in the past about appropriateness/sensitivity in using associative colours when mapping ethnicities and am wondering where this design decision came from? Some people may argue using associative colours for ethnicities is derogatory.

For instance, I think in Bing maps, they use brown for reserves, but this could be to complement their existing colour scheme.[ATTACH]5134[/ATTACH]

Was this association intentional or an over-sight or just a non-issue?

[StephenLead]

I've had discussions in the past about appropriateness/sensitivity in using associative colours when mapping ethnicities and am wondering where this design decision came from? Some people may argue using associative colours for ethnicities is derogatory.

Hi Donovan,

Interesting question - I honestly didn't think of this.

I matched the colour schemes in the Atlas Explorer's maps with the CMYK colours used in the printed book on which this site was based.

The maps in the book were designed by professional cartographers at NSW LPMA, and the colours were chosen by them.

You can see the associated map at the bottom of http://atlas.nsw.gov.au/public/nsw/home/topic/article/indigenous-population.html

We did consider using a single colour scheme for all maps (eg red = more, pink = less) but decided to match the colours used in the book, as it provides a bit of visual variety.

I'd be interested to hear whether anyone else feels the colours are inappropriate - we're amenable to making changes if it's a problem.

Cheers,
Steve

[DonovanCameron]

Thanks for the information. I was hoping for an answer relating to cartography and your response is great!

I personally don't think the colours as they are are inappropriate, the maps look great. I love the information that comes back when I click, and the 'about the map' information is very interesting, it captures my attention and has me exploring more.

I've just heard in some peoples arguments (because there are people who are sensitive to such an issue) that they have been offended by colours shown on maps. Ethnic thematic maps in particular.

I've experienced this sensitivity first hand, so I notice associative colours immediately now and always like to explore the rational behind using those colours. I haven't seen a map (modern) yet where the colours were in fact chosen for that negative effect. That's just what the result was for some viewers.

My experience was when a contractor brought a map he'd made to a meeting showing our Indian Reserve in red. Short story, that meeting didn't go well and he never got the information he came for. The maps were for a land use and occupancy survey/interview. A single person took offence, and this caused the group to begin thinking critically. It was indeed unfair, because that was not his intention, but it did happened.

[StephenLead]

For anyone who's interested in further technical information, the presentation I gave at the Esri Developer Summit is now available at http://bit.ly/fb94rE

Cheers,
Steve