Lab 3 - Cartography with ArcGIS

This lab was the longest lab of the semester so far (at least for me). We were tasked with creating three maps - one depicting the states of Mexico by population, one depicting urban areas, rivers, and roads of central Mexico, and one depicting a digital elevation model of Mexico. I found this lab interesting in that there was a lot to do, and I feel this lab really starts to showcase the power and versatility of the ArcGIS software.

For topography maps, I have always liked ones that used a scheme where brown described the higher mountainous elevations, so I used one like that here. I think this color scheme clearly differentiates higher and lower elevations. I wanted the north arrow easy to see at a glance but out of the way, so I placed it in the top right corner. I changed the title of the legend to better reflect what is being shown, and I placed the inset at an easy to see but out of the way location. This particular map (of the topography of Mexico) was to me the easiest of the three to create, but I really appreciate learning about the different types of classification and choosing which is best. I look forward to next week's exercise.