Latest Contributions by EdiePunt

Hey Alex-- A map is just graphic communication of spatial phenomena. The techniques and styles will change over time, but there will always be a need to convey this information in a clear and informative way. Keep that in mind (more so than the nifty techniques) and you can't go wrong.  Edie ... View more

Zachary,  yes, there is such a place for exactly that, sharing maps and ideas. Take a look: https://community.esri.com/groups/map-advice  Edie ... View more

Welcome James!  Keep working through it as you can. If you're trying to make maps, then you are definitely part of the tribe! Edie ... View more

I answered a similar question elsewhere in this forum, but keep an eye out for skills that don't seem cartography-related. These include graphic design (page composition), typography, color theory, statistics... Also, as others said... find maps that resonate with you-- even if they are old. Take a long hard look and try to figure out what makes it work. Is it the colors? The typefaces? The way  the numeric data is presented? Then do what you can to replicate it as closely as possible.  Edie ... View more

Great question Samantha! We often find that it's the seemingly-simple features that are the most useful and for people. A few of my favorites in ArcGIS Pro are: A very powerful undo-redo stack Ability to link multiple views, even across 2D-3D Multiple layouts Map frames in a layout clipped to any shape Any color used anywhere-- even in a small part of a symbol-- can be independently wholly or partially transparent Font preview when choosing fonts A very powerful explore/navigate tool Edie ... View more

In addition to 3D challenges, like Ken has, I find I'm unfamiliar with raster techniques. They are so different from the vector techniques that I am comfortable with, but I know that I am leaving some potential on the table with my maps by not thinking of pixels.  Edie ... View more

Hey Patrick,  Yes, we are building up a library of styles. You can see them here: https://esri-styles.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html  When you're in ArcGIS pro, you can search All Portal for "stylx" and you'll find them. We're always working to build more styles, and happy to take suggestions.  Edie ... View more

There's more to cartography than just the direct tasks of map-making. Learn about graphic design, typography, color theory. Learn everything you can about statistics and how to graphically portray numerical data. Learn about different data sources and data sets.  Edie ... View more

Kitty,  I got my start in Cartography because I was researching the Canadian Inuit, and the ways that they traditionally understood their land in an oral-only tradition. This meant they relied heavily on ephemeral mapping. As I continued this work, it made me curious about how all maps are made. After I finished my degree I went to a technical college to learn both manual and digital cartography. My fondest cartographic memory is having the opportunity to work with David Rumsey and immerse myself for months in his physical map collection. I’m most proud of the book that David Rumsey and I wrote together from that work. Edie ... View more

Hi Lina, This is a great question, and yes you are absolutely right that in many cases there are constraints for your map that are beyond basic cartography principles.   Remember that a map is just a form of graphic communication. There will always be constraints in this. So begin with those constraints and work around them.   If you need to follow a color scheme, begin there. Choose or create symbols that follow that color constraint. You can choose text colors that match that too.   Italics on rivers and other physical features is a common convention, but not a must. There are few hard and fast rules in Cartography that can't be worked around. You can differentiate these forms in different ways, perhaps a lighter version of the same typeface.   So, start with the constraints, then use your best judgement and skill to work the rest of the design around those in a clear and complementary way.   Edie ... View more

Keep in mind, if you find a system style that looks interesting while you're searching, just click the "plus" icon next to it to add it to your project: ... View more

It's more than just a matter of download size. Keeping them separate allows us to update them off software cycle if necessary.  ... View more

When you grab these styles from online, you grab an instance of them. They are not by reference. They are copied locally to your system, so losing internet connection or working offline has no impact.  ... View more

Hi Ryan, A tip that may help you... when searching for symbols in the Gallery, choose to search from within All Styles. This searches all the styles that are included with ArcGIS Pro, not just the ones in your current project.  Also, coming soon, we'll provide a PDF document of the other symbols we host out on the org for download to make it easier to see what's there.  We've tried to make symbol creation as easy as possible in ArcGIS Pro. For example, you can build a point symbol from an SVG file, which are easy to find for download on the Web. Also, if you feel we're missing key common symbols, let us know, and we'll try to get them added.  thanks for your feedback,  Edie ... View more

Hi Sofia,  I was able to import your style and use it as a point in a Layout successfully. Maybe I'm not understanding your steps though? What is it that you are trying to do? Can you try removing the .stylx from your project and importing the .style again? Edie ... View more