When I started this blog several years ago, the original intent was to provide notes for a sales team and clients. It was a basic cartographic education for people who have no background in displaying data on maps, or who would simply hit defaults in the software they are using with little thought to what they are describing. The goal was to provide enough information so they may make better decisions not just in the map making process, but in interpreting maps as well.
Choropleth
One of the most common maps you may see, especially in the media, is a choropleth or shaded area map. The goal is to compress vast amounts
of data into digestible portions for the map readers. Whereas a table of numbers provides details
for individual locations, the map should generalize these locations; collecting
locations together into chunks of similar values making the map easier to interpret. These chunks are called classes. The process of chunking is referred to as classification.
