This is Classified (GIS 3015/3015L- Cartographic Skills)

Chugging along in the course we come to module 6, which focused on data classification and more statistics. Our assignment was to create two maps with the same four data classifications in each. What differed was whether the map's data was normalized or a percentage of the senior population above 65 in Miami Dade County, FL. As seen in the map, the four classifications were Natural Breaks, Equal Interval, Quantiles, and Stand Deviation. I chose to include the normalized data map since I feel it best conveys the information. Having raw information would be easier for someone to interpret, since further questions could arise when looking at percentages.

The equal interval method places each class along a number line at equal intervals. The quantile method rank orders the data and then an equal number of observations are placed into each class. The standard deviation method differs from the previous two, in that it actually considers how the data is distributed along a number line. Since the mean serves as a dividing point, we can look at the values that fall above or below the mean. Finally, the quantiles method is accomplished through visually determining the breaks in the data. Although this method can often times be subjective.

It took a while for some of the concepts to really sink in, considering it has been some time since I've worked with them. But another module down and one away from the half way point!