Thematic cartography is concerned with representing the spatial patterns of particular themes, attributes, or phenomena through maps. Thematic maps differ from general-reference maps in emphasizing a selected subject and its geographic variation rather than primarily representing locations and general geographic relationships [1][2]. The subjects represented may include physical, social, medical, economic, political, and other phenomena, such as population density, climate, wealth, voting intentions, and life expectancy [2]. The field encompasses the design and practical construction of thematic maps, including the use of cartographic techniques and map elements to represent and communicate spatial information [1][3]. Thematic cartography can also be understood as a sequence of transformations through which geographic entities and information are converted into cartographic representations [2]. Its scope has expanded to include digital, multimedia, Internet-based, and geovisualization approaches [1][4][5].
- thematic mapping
- cartographic visualization
- spatial data
- geovisualization
References
- Terry A. Slocum; Robert B McMaster; Fritz C. Kessler; Hugh.H Howard. Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization; Taylor & Francis: London, United Kingdom, 2022. [CrossRef]
- Colette Cauvin; Francisco Escobar; Aziz Serradj. Thematic Cartography and Transformations; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, United States, 2013. [CrossRef]
- Fritz C. Kessler; Terry A. Slocum; Analysis of Thematic Maps Published in Two Geographical Journals in the Twentieth Century. Ann. Assoc. Am. Geogr. 2011, 101, 292-317, 10.1080/00045608.2010.544947.
- Colette Cauvin; Francisco Escobar; Aziz Serradj. New Approaches in Thematic Cartography; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, United States, 2010. [CrossRef]
- Slocum, Terry A., and Fritz C. Kessler. 2015. “Thematic Mapping.” In Mark Monmonier (ed.), Cartography in the Twentieth Century: Volume Six of The History of Cartography, pp. 1500–1524. University of Chicago Press.