We hope to expand this page. Please recommend any tools or let us know any questions we can answer.
Creating maps and working with geospatial data
Mapping can be both critical and among the most time consuming and difficult endeavors in a digital project. Keep in mind that mapping is, ultimately, a reductionist process. Though it can be tempting to find mapping tools that provide a wealth of features and options, the goal of most maps is to simplify data sets and to visually associate data and locations.
GIS is powerful but rarely needed
Geographic information system (GIS) software is not primarily mapping software but geospatial analysis software. The NML has licenses for ArcGIS on our PCs and has—or can install—the open source application QGIS on our Macs. If you need to mathematically or logically analyze spacial data, these programs offer strong options for importing or creating geographically related data sets and working with the resulting databases. That work can but does not even necessarily include modeling results as maps. For many NML projects, using GIS software is overly complex.
Open source map tools
A number of open source mapping tools in development take a data-driven approach to mapping but focus on presentation more than analysis. These tools can be quite useful but don’t require as steep a learning curve or as large a time investment as GIS software. Two of the most advanced projects are OpenStreetMap and Mapbox, along with its desktop software TileMill. OpenStreetMap is an open source alternative to projects such as Google Maps, MapQuest, and similar maps organized by roads and municipalities. As an open source project, OpenStreetMap allows its data to be used in ways that would violate competitors terms of service, including allowing exporting of data, so your project won’t be dependent on a third party service. (This can be extremely important; see our thoughts about open source software.) Mapbox provides a variety of mapping software, some of which relies on OpenStreetMap data, to help develop your own interactive web-based maps.
Drawing is an option
If you don’t need the complexity of a data-driven approach, simply placing markers, lines, and shapes on an image of a map can be a great approach. Drawing a map with a program such as Photoshop can be relatively fast and easy, as long as you don’t need to integrate geographical metadata into your map or need to be able to easily and frequently edit your map in the future. Photoshop and similar programs allow your map changes to be saved as layers, so they can be updated in the future, but keep in mind that the layers are images, not data. You won’t be able to export information from your image, and, with time, it might be difficult to properly update your work, at least without a detailed record of your production process.