Thematic Map of Chloropleth Data

Thematic Map of Choropleth Data

"In this exercise, you will become more familiar with the mapping functions of ArcGIS by creating a county-level choropleth map of the United States with demographic data."

This exercise was the opposite of the map projections diagram: I was presented with a already made static layout, while it was up to me to decide what data I should map. I was able to choose from a variety of 2010 census data at a county scale. I decided to map the percentage of population that is aged 85 and above. To do this, I had to normalize the data by total county population to get accurate data at a national level. I also had to decide how the data should be classified. After looking at the distribution of the data, I decided that the default Natural Breaks (Jenks) worked best. This exercise also tested my analysis skills, as I had to look for and describe patterns that occurred in the data. 

I learned from this exercise when normalization is necessary, as well as what classification schemes should be used with different data distributions. 

Future Changes:

- I'd be interested in mapping other data from the census dataset, and seeing what patterns could be revealed.