Synonyms
Chart; Data map
Definition
The graphical representation of quantitative data or qualitative data for a given geographic area (e.g., regional unemployment rate or type of crops grown).
The many different methods that cartographers apply to create thematic maps are used to define a thematic map more precisely. The following five are found most often:
- 1.
Choropleth maps. In choropleth maps, the areas of the map are shaded or patterned in proportion to the value of the data to be displayed for a particular area.
- 2.
Dot maps. These maps use equal sized dots to show the presence of a feature at a particular geographic location and thus display spatial distributions. A dot need not be restricted to a single occurrence; it may indicate any number of entities.
- 3.
Proportional symbol maps. When drawing proportional symbol maps, a cartographer selects a symbol (e.g., a circle or a bar), places it at the spot on the map to which the data apply, and varies the symbol’s size from place to...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Recommended Reading
Bertin J. Graphics and graphic information-processing. Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter; 1981.
Slocum TA, McMaster RB, Kessler FC, Howard HH. Thematic cartography and geographic visualization. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson-Prentice Hall; 2005.
Tufte ER. The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire: Graphics Press; 1983.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Hinterberger, H. (2018). Thematic Map. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_1377
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9_1377
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-8266-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-8265-9
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceReference Module Computer Science and Engineering