Much has changed in the course of the week from the map that was initially created. The various elements and issues are discussed below:
Color: Since this map is going to be printed for distribution, all colors were identified by their CMYK numbers.
Borders: Not knowing the specification of the printer to be used, all marginalia was brought into the confines of the map itself, not in the borders of the map. Depending on the type of printer used, I was concerned that this marginalia, as it was used in the Week 1 map, might not print properly or be cut off. By keeping this within the 1/2 inch margin surrounding the map, I hopefully eliminated that as an issue.
Legend: Though I tried using the legend wizard, I found that I could not get the results I desired in the format that I desired. Instead, I created my own legend by drawing a box and inserting each legend element manually. I would create a legend for a particular layer, say the EMS layer, and then locate it in inside the box I had drawn. Using the drawing tools to align the different legend elements, I was able to build a 'custom' legend that fit my needs for this map.
Map Insert: Though this frame insert appears rather large, I felt that since the work was being performed for the Borough of Bellefonte, the greater detail afforded by the larger size is justified.
Visual Hierarchy: The larger type for Bellefonte Boro, the brighter yellow color, and the position of the borough's features in the center of the page all contribute to showing that this is the most important element and the center of the map. The map was created with a base layer of very lightly colored areas for the forest districts, the county and borough layer was added using black lines and type to identify the features. In addition, the borough of Bellefonte was highlighted using a much higher color value of a different hue, in this case yellow, to make it stand out as the main focus of the map. Onto this the PA roads layer was added. County roads are presented in grey, state roads in a burgundy, and the Interstate is represented by its own unique black and yellow shape. These features show up against the lighter backdrop without looking visually cluttered. Finally, the emergency reference information is shown with its unique icons and symbology discussed below. These icons are each shown with a small halo around them so they will stand out against the detail below. Further, where the labeling information looked cluttered or confusing against the background layers, a similar halo effect was used. This halo was built from the callout symbology provided, but just a background color was used to separate and differentiate the actual label from the background. This, in my opinion, provided greater map clarity and ease of use.
Map Concept and Use: Since this is to be a map of emergency services, I didn't see a need to identify and label each jail or school. I did note where schools exist, as they might be used in an emergency situation, but I did not differentiate between primary, middle, and secondary levels. The forest districts were noted and uniquely identified as that might be important in an emergency situation, such as which forest district to contact in an emergency or in case of fire; and the one airport in the map extent was identified.
Element Changes
EMS Services: I chose to modify the EMS icon that I had used in the first map (Week 1) to better identify the level of EMS capability that is present at each facility. I felt that this would provide a better visual reference as to what services are available, as I tried to match a mnemonic code for the level of service to the actual icon.
Police Stations: I kept the modified route marker emblem for police stations as I felt that this icon best represented a police badge. I did change the color of the badges as I tried to a hierarchy based upon the color value represented. In this case, light green represented the borough police, the medium green the county police, and the dark green for the state police.
Fire stations: I chose to change the icons used to represent the fire stations feeling that there just wasn't enough visual difference between Fire stations with EMS available and those without. Instead, for those fire stations without EMS available I used a fire truck icon, and for those with EMS available I used a round fire emblem providing a visual cue that an EMS capable was "ready to roll." Unlike the EMS Services icons and the Police Station icons, I did not differentiate fire stations by color value differences.
Roads: These continued to present an issue and unless I separated the roads layer into separate layers by their type, I could not find an easy way to provide street information that didn't completely overwhelm the map. I did choose to change the color of the state roads to a darker red so it would not clash and cause visual uncertainty with the red box that frames the area on the overview map that is shown in greater detail in the detailed map. Also, by darkening the color of the state roads, the red in the Fire station symbols stand out better.
Forest Districts: I changed the fill for the forest districts, opting to go with very light pastel colors that would not take away from the technical detail of the map yet would differentiate the different forest districts.
Flood plane: I also changed the fill on the flood plane layer in an effort to make it less intrusive, yet still visible.
Schools: Schools are shown on the map but are not identified by name. Not known exactly how the map is to be used, I didn't feel that I had enough information to determine whether this needed to be included. This would be something to determine in consultation with the persons or activity requesting the map.
This was by far the most time consuming element of the entire effort. I found that using dynamic labeling, while fine for initially identifying features, did not provide enough flexibility. By converting the dynamic labels to data frame annotations, I could manipulate the labels to make them more legible, use different sizes and type to better draw visual attention to an element, and to use call-outs where necessary to provide specific identity.
Township and Borough Names: I found that the dynamic labels for the various townships and boroughs, while placed appropriately, didn't always provide the best label. In some cases the township labels were place over roads or streams making them difficult to read easily. By creating annotations, I could move them to the appropriate "blank" areas to minimize overlaying them on other features. Additionally, because each is individually editable, I could make the subject of the map, Bellefonte Boro, much larger than the rest. This was my way of showing the importance of the borough in the visual hierarchy of the map.
In addition, the labels for EMS services, fire stations, police stations, and forest districts were all converted to annotation and each was manipulated individually, both on the main overview map and on the detail map.
Click on this thumbnail image or the hyperlinked text below it for a PDF of the Bellefonte Area Emergency Services Map, however please note that this is an extremely large file (approximately 2.8 mb) and will take a long time to download and load into an Adobe Acrobat reader. Alternatively, you can right click on the image, select <Save Link As>, and then download the file to your hard drive for later viewing.
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