3 ECTS credits
90 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1001812ANR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester
2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
Department
Geography
Educational team
Frank Canters (course titular)
Activities and contact hours

13 contact hours Lecture
13 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
15 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

The first chapter of the course focuses on the cartographic communication process and on the basic principles of cartographic design. Essential notions such as scale, generalisation and symbolisation are introduced.

The second part includes an overview of the history of cartography, with emphasis on cartographic activity in Europe, the Southern and Northern Netherlands, and Belgium.

The third part of the course focuses on thematic cartography, with emphasis on choropleth mapping, color perception and use of color. This part of the course includes a practical introduction to thematic cartography, in which the students learn how to select a suitable representation for mapping a spatial phenomenon and how to produce a thematic map using cartographic software.

 

  1. Introduction

a. What is cartography? What is a map?

b. The cartographic communication process

c. Basic principles of cartographic design

d. Scale and scale reduction

  1. History of cartography

a. Various ways of studying the history of cartography

b. Prehistoric and “primitive” cartography

c. Cartography in Classical Antiquity

d. Cartography in Medieval Europe

e. The Renaissance of Western cartography

f. The Golden Age in the Northern Netherlands

g. The new cartography in France

f. Large-scale cartography of the Belgian territory

  1. Class definition in thematic cartography

a. Equal intervals and quantiles approach

b. Mean-standard deviation method

c. Cluster-based approaches

d. The “optimal” classification method

e. Important considerations

  1. Colour perception and use of colour

a. The electromagnetic spectrum

b. Dimensions of colour

c. Theories of colour perception

d. Additive and subtractive colour mixing

e. The Munsell colour model

 

Course material
Digital course material (Required) : Syllabus hoorcollege
Practical course material (Required) : Handleiding gebruikte software (ArcGIS)
Digital course material (Required) : Additionele teksten Cartografie
Handbook (Recommended) : Cartography, Visualization of Spatial Data, chapter 3: Map characteristics, Kraak, M.J. and F.J. Ormeling, 3de, Pearson Education Ltd, 9780273722793, 2009
Handbook (Recommended) : Elements of Cartography, chapter 2: Nature of cartography, chapter 3: History of cartography, chapter 18: Cartographic design, Robinson, A.H., J.L. Morrison, P.C. Muehrcke, A.J. Kimerling and S.C. Guptill, 6de, BIB, 9780471555797, 1995
Handbook (Recommended) : Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization, chapter 4: Data classification, chapter 10: Principles of color, chapter 12: Cartographic design, chapter 14: Choropleth mapping, chapter 17: Proportional symbol and dot mapping, Slocum, T.A., McMaster, R.B., Kessler, F.C. and Howard, H.H., 3de, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 9781292040677, 2013
Digital course material (Recommended) : Verwijzingen naar aan de cursus gerelateerde weblinks, Canvas
Additional info

Nothing to be specified

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

After successful completion of this course students should:

  • have a proper understanding of important steps in the cartographic communication process (generalization, symbolization, interpretation);
  • be aware of important developments in the history of cartography, from the classical era till now.
  • be able to critically reflect on the role of cartography in society, in the past as well as today;
  • have knowledge of the basic principles of cartographic design (alternative thematic representations, classification methods, choice of colours, map legend design, map layout);
  • be able to define a suitable map representation and map design for mapping a given geographic phenomenon in an efficient way;
  • have obtained the necessary skills to produce a well-designed map product using cartographic software.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
PRAC Practical Assignment determines 50% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Examen mondeling with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

    Note: Bevraging van de theorie uit hoorcollege en WPO

Within the PRAC Practical Assignment category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • WPO praktijkopdracht with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 50% of the final mark.

    Note: Laboproef cartografisch ontwerp

Additional info regarding evaluation

Lectures (including self study): oral exam (with written preparation)
Exercises thematic cartography: practical assignment map design capabilities (computer lab)

Calculation of mark:
50% oral exam + 50% practical assignment thematic cartography

Partial marks for the oral exam or the practical assignment, if the student obtains at least half of the score for these parts, are transferred to the second session and to the next academic year.

The student can relinquish his partial mark for the oral exam or the practical assignment, provided he reports this to the lecturer by e-mail not later than 15/8 (2nd session) or 1/10 (no transfer to the next academic year).

Once the student has indicated that he will abandon his partial mark, he will irrevocably lose the partial mark.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Political Science and Sociology: - afstudeerrichting sociologie, minor sociale geografie (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Urban Design and Spatial Planning: Standaard traject (only offered in Dutch)