In any case, for the “99%” out there (the occasional mapper or graphics departments that for whatever reason just need some base maps and can’t use GIS or even pay), here are three useful map sources: TileMill from Mapbox, CartoDB are good online mapping tools, and you’ll also need some specialized skills. But they don’t give the same analytical depth or access to GIS datasets.ĭ3.js can create nice interactive mapping as well (but you’ll need programming skills). The Guardian and other major organizations have used them deftly in the past. In many ways, these tools have somehow replaced the usage of GIS for journalists seeking to simply layer datasets to visualize spatial patterns.
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Today, free web mapping tools like Tableau Public and Google Fusion Tables allow for easy and free data mapping. It’s amazing since there is so much to gain from GIS to uncover patterns though spatial analysis. There are free options such a QGIS (see a terrific tutorial by LA Times’ Len De Groot here), but newspapers rarely commit to diving in or understand its power. GIS packages such as ArcGIS or the Illustrator plugin MAPublisher are quite expensive, and the learning curve is high. Why is GIS not ubiquitous in journalism in general and graphics departments in particular, as it is in many other industries? (disclaimer: I’m not a GIS user myself but I think it should be part of the skill set of any graphics department). These are of course simple geographic maps (large areas or cities) rather than the kind of thematic/data mapping that can bring visual insight to a story in a powerful way. I’ve been to a few newspapers that are the leaders in their respective countries and have never even heard the term GIS. This procedure is the general standard today. Line by line, one push of the mouse after another. Copyright National Geograpic Societyĭuring recent workshops in different countries I have been shocked to discover that 95% (if not more) of newspapers and magazines (particularly out of the US) still produce maps at a fairly basic level by taking screen grabs from Google Maps and painstakingly retracing them in Illustrator.
The user decides what layers (which may come from government or private sources) are going to be combined in order to visualize, analyze, and interpret the data to show relationships, patterns, and trends.Īll oil and gas platforms, pipelines, leases, wetlands and protected area in the Guld of Mexico, made with GIS layered data.
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GIS (Geographic Information System) software links location information in the form of databases with latitude and longitude coordinates to different types of information: demographic data to census tracts or divisions, election results to provinces, land use to natural or urban areas, etc. A new era in investigative news mapping was beginning… However, fast forward (23 years!) and very few news organizations are taking advantage of modern cartography.ĭuring ten years at National Geographic I was lucky to work with an amazing cartographic department that is highly skilled at using GIS software to produce detailed spatial analysis and (largely) automated mapping. In 1992 the Miami Herald first introduced GIS mapping to journalism in a significant way with their Pulitzer-winning reporting on the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew.
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