Module 5: Choropleth

 Hello all, this week we learned about choropleth and proportional symbol mapping. A choropleth map is a thematic map that uses color mapping symbology to represent data, like an population density map similar to the one below created for this lab. The choropleth map below uses proportional symbolling, proportional symbology is used to show relative differences in quantities among features. Thus these symbols scale with the data we are trying to depict, in this case we are trying to show wine consumption in Europe in 2012 as well as population density in each country. 

For this map I chose a maroon/purple color scheme and gradient to represent the wine because I thought it best fit the data it represented while also being a color that would show up against the green color gradient I chose for the population density. I chose a green gradient for population density because I was trying to let it resemble land and to contrast with the wine consumption labels. I didn’t have to choose a gradient for the wine data but I thought it allowed for a more clear delineation between areas with large to small consumption rate that maybe size didn’t show. These colors are contrasting enough to be clear about what they are representing without being distracting from the purpose of the map. 

The thing I found most challenge this week was the nuances of compiling data to be show as we had to filter out outliers in the map. Otherwise the raw population density data made the map look mostly one color and you couldn't clearly see the populations as you do below. This lab was a very transformative learning experience in learning this type of map compilation techniques.