Cartography.

MOOC

Exercise
Small Multiples

Section 6 Exercise 1
05/2020
 Cartography. MOOC

Small Multiples

Instructions
Use this guide and ArcGIS Pro to reproduce the results of the exercise on your own.
Note: The version of ArcGIS Pro that you are using for this course may produce slightly
different results from the screen shots that you see in the course materials.

Time to complete
Approximately 20-30 minutes

Software requirements
ArcGIS Pro 2.5
ArcGIS Pro Standard license (or higher)
Note: The MOOC provides a separate ArcGIS account (user name and password) that you
will need to use to license ArcGIS Pro and access other software applications used
throughout the MOOC exercises. This account (user name ending with _cart) provides the
appropriate ArcGIS Online role, ArcGIS Pro license, ArcGIS Pro extensions, and credits.
We strongly recommend that you use the provided course ArcGIS account to ensure that
you have the appropriate licensing to complete the exercises. Exercises may require
credits. Using the provided course ArcGIS account ensures that you do not consume your
organization's credits. Esri is not responsible for any credits consumed if you use a different
account. Moreover, Esri will not provide technical support to students who use a different
account.

Introduction
Some maps are packed with information that needs to express itself in more than just a single
static view. Maybe the mapped phenomenon has a time component that is best explored
incrementally in order to show change. Or maybe the phenomenon depicts a range of data
that can be shown as growing or shrinking. Depending on the data that you have, and the
dynamic phenomenon that it represents, sometimes small multiples are the way to go.
A small multiple layout presents a single phenomenon as a collection of—you guessed
it—multiple small graphics, each slightly different, to provide the map reader with a broader,
more dimensional understanding.

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A smalll multiples as an infographic poster (https://bit.ly/2JEQ5vE).

Purpose
Wait, this sounds an awful lot like the frames of a flip-book (https://bit.ly/1P7sWOA) animation
or the individual cells of a film strip. Why not just use animation, instead of small multiples?
Animation is a lot of fun (and the subject of another exercise), but sometimes you want a map
reader to be able to be fully in control of the visual exploration of the maps. A small multiple
layout lets map readers compare and contrast at their own pace, or make connections
between maps that might not be neighbors in a conventional animation.

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Also, humans have a hard time tracking with long animated transitions, and some of the
information in your maps may leak out before an animation completes. Or change blindness
(https://bit.ly/2IIKi76) may have obscured some meaningful aspect of the phenomenon
altogether. A more practical benefit of small multiples is that they can be shared in a single
static image, rather than being subject to digital environments that support animation.

What will you learn?

This exercise uses ArcGIS Pro to create multiple small maps, each showing a different slice of
the data. You will create thematic classes, explore symbology, and use the "range" filter to
create individual map instances to compile into a small multiple layout. Additionally, you will
see firsthand how an effective small multiple layout affords map understanding at the map
reader's pace and allows for an unbounded exploration of differences and similarities.

Step 1: Download the exercise file

In this step, you will download the exercise data file.

a Open a new web browser tab or window.

b Go to https://bit.ly/3f5w5SD and download the exercise file.

Note: The complete URL to the exercise file is https://www.arcgis.com/home/
item.html?id=4aa77ca426364ed9b2b621680f4ea28b. The file is 7 MB.

c Save the exercise data file in a location that you will remember.

Step 2: Open an ArcGIS Pro project package

a Start ArcGIS Pro and, if necessary, sign in using your provided course ArcGIS credentials
(user name ending with _cart).

b From the main ArcGIS Pro start page, click Open Another Project.

c Browse to the location where you saved the exercise data file and open the
SmallMultiples.ppkx project file.

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You will see a map showing the basic outlines of the continents and a layer named
Quakes6PlusSince1898. That layer houses thousands of points representing the locations of
historical earthquake epicenters that measured at least a magnitude of 6.
To maintain the original project file, you will save your project with a different name.

d From the Project tab, click Save As and type a name for your project, such as
SmallMultiples_<your first and last name>.aprx.

e Save the file to the folder on your computer where you are saving your work.
To provide more context and meaning, you will use graduated symbols to represent
earthquake magnitude.

Step 3: Use graduated symbols

As you have seen, graduated symbols are used to show a quantitative difference between
mapped features by varying the size of the symbols. Symbol size is an effective way to
represent differences in magnitude of earthquakes because larger symbols are naturally
associated with meaning a greater amount of something.

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a In the Contents pane, right-click the Quakes6PlusSince1898 earthquakes layer and choose
Symbology.

b In the Symbology pane, for Primary Symbology, choose Graduated Symbols.

Graduated symbols can be based on a numeric attribute field in the dataset. In this case, you
will use the Magnitude (Mag) field, which contains values from 6 through 9.1.

c For Field, choose Mag.

You will start with the Natural Breaks data classification method and then manually add class
breaks and set class ranges that are appropriate for this data.

d For Classes, type 7.

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e In the table near the bottom of the Symbology pane, starting at the bottom of the table,
click in the Upper Value field for the largest symbol, and then, if necessary, replace the
existing value with 9.1 and press Enter.

f Continuing up the rows in the table, replace the existing values and manually assign the
range break numbers in the Upper Value column of the table to the following numbers,
pressing Enter after each one: 8.5, 8.0, 7.5, 7.0, 6.5, and 6.0.
Note: Start at the bottom of the table with the largest value and replace all the values in the
Upper Value field, working your way up the table.
In the Symbology pane, your table should look like the following graphic.

You will see that the data classification method in the Method field changed to Manual
Interval after you began manually entering values in the Upper Value field.
You will now modify the symbol being used.

g For Template, click the yellow circular point symbol to open the Format Point Symbol
pane.

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At the top of the Format Point Symbol pane, the Gallery tab displays symbol shapes and
colors.

h From the gallery of icons, under the ArcGIS 2D section, select Circle 1 (a solid black
circle).

i At the top of the Format Point Symbol pane, click the Properties tab.
Here, you can modify the selected symbol.

j Expand Appearance, if necessary, and then next to Color, click the down arrow to open
the color palette.
You can select one of the standard ArcGIS Colors from the color palette, but you will create
your own color for this exercise.

k At the bottom of the color palette, click Color Properties.

l In the Color Editor dialog box, use the Red, Green, and Blue sliders to create a color that
appeals to you and apply a transparency value of 75%.

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The example shown uses Malachite Green, which is HEX # 00A884.

Because these earthquakes overlap so heavily, semitransparent point symbols still convey a
visual sense of density in highly clustered areas.

m Click OK to accept the color and close the Color Editor dialog box.

n At the bottom of the Symbology pane, click Apply, and then close the Symbology pane.

o Zoom and pan the map to see the historical earthquake points presented as graduated
symbols.

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The legend in the Contents pane shows the class range values that you previously provided.
The smallest symbols represent quakes with a magnitude of 6.0 or less while the largest
symbols represent quakes with a magnitude of over 9.0.

p To return to the full extent of the layout, from the Map tab, in the Navigate group, click
the Full Extent button .
Now you will take a look at layout options.

Step 4: Explore the layout view

At the top of the map window, you will see two tabs.

The Map tab on the left is currently selected. This is the map window where you work with
map layers and perform analysis and symbology. Next to it is a Small Multiple Layout tab. This
is a layout window where you manage the graphical layout of a produced map.

a Click the Small Multiple Layout tab to activate the layout.

Note: It may take a moment for the entire layout to draw.

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Small multiples are a great way to juxtapose different aspects of a related dataset, as you can
see in this layout.

The layout contains seven instances of the map that you just made, one for each class range.
Each map is contained in a map frame, a page layout element that is used to display the
contents of a map on a layout. These map frames have been added in for you to save time.
This small multiple layout shows the locations of these historical quakes in ranked order of
magnitude range. All but the last map on the bottom right have been filtered to show just the
quakes in the identified range.

b In the Contents pane, click any of the items to see them highlighted in the layout.
You will now apply a range filter to the last map.

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Step 5: Apply a range filter

A small multiple layout could be made up of many individual maps, but it is much simpler to
apply a range filter to each map frame so that only one source map has to be maintained.

a In the Contents pane, right-click the 9+ map frame and choose Activate.

Activating the map frame highlights it in the layout area. On the ribbon, at the top of the
ArcGIS Pro interface, the Range contextual tab is now available.

b Click the Range tab to see the filter options.

On the Range tab, in the Current Range group, there are empty Max and Min text fields.

c For this final map of the largest historical earthquakes, in the Current Range group, assign
a Min value of 9 and press Enter.

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This setting will restrict the earthquake data to only earthquakes of magnitude 9 or higher.

d In the layout panel for the last map, click the red X button at the top-right corner of the
window to close the activated map frame view and return to the layout.

You should now see a small multiple layout showing seven maps, ranging from small but
frequent earthquakes to large but rare earthquakes.

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Step 6: Add labels to your map layout

You will now add some labels to the layout to more clearly identify what each of the maps
shows.

a From the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Rectangle down arrow and choose Text.

This will activate the option to insert text into the layout. Your pointer will change to small
crosshairs with the letter A, indicating text mode.

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b Zoom in to the first map and click the map to insert a text block.

c Type in the magnitude range that map represents (for example, Magnitude 6.0-6.4).
Note: Depending on the zoom level of the layout, the text block may be very difficult to see.
You will fix the label design next.

d With this text block active, click the Format tab and play with type design to create an
attractive label for your map.

e Repeat this process for the six remaining map views.

Note: To save time, you might consider copying an already formatted text block and pasting
it.
When you are finished, your layout should look similar to the following graphic.

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You now have a map with a default font. As a cartographer, you should cast a critical eye on
any default and apply your thoughtful design sense to it. So, consider choosing a font that fits
with the theme or reinforces your aesthetic. It is more important than it sounds!
You have made a small multiple!

f Save your project and exit ArcGIS Pro.

Conclusion
In this exercise, you were introduced to the concept of small multiples as a map layout
method that shows nuance and detail for a dynamic set of data. You used your thematic
mapping skills to define earthquake symbol ranges. You used the range filter to slice up your
map into distinct views into the data, and you labeled all the component maps. You became
empowered to crank out small multiples, appropriate for all sorts of phenomena, ready to be
unleashed to the eager masses!

Stretch Goals

• Remember when you chose a symbol to represent earthquakes? You know that you are
not stuck with the set of symbols provided in the menu. You can upload an image to use
as a point symbol. Try using the Firefly Glowing Point Image Symbols (https://bit.ly/
2H6suWD) as the point symbols in your map.
• If you are feeling ambitious, you could get a jump-start on the next exercise on animated
maps. Small multiples are great, but if your mapped phenomenon has an inherent
ordering to it (less to more, time, and so on), then you have got all the ingredients for a
flip-book style animation! Explore the animation capabilities of ArcGIS Pro (https://bit.ly/
2qlODXn), and see if you can turn your earthquake small multiple map into a simple
animation. Why make one map when you can have two?

Use the Lesson Forum to post your questions, observations, and map examples.

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Learn More

• Feast your eyes on Andy Woodruff's Beyond the Sea small multiple collection: http://
andywoodruff.com/blog/beyond-the-sea/ (https://bit.ly/1RA0rIJ)

• Check out Ken Field's small multiple visualization of the socioeconomic tectonics of
political boundaries: http://www.arcgis.com/home/
item.html?id=047ac4944fd84bfab00af0e5ed1084fa (https://bit.ly/2IHo2um)

• John Nelson created small multiples of piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Then, he stacked them
into a simple animation—because why not? http://uxblog.idvsolutions.com/2012/09/
somali-pirate-years.html (https://bit.ly/2v6qLvD)

• Be amazed and inspired by Fred Bruenjes' use of small multiple images positioned to
build a map: http://www.moonglow.net/eclipse/2002dec04/index.html (https://bit.ly/
2HoTfD5)

• If the maps are designed simply enough, a great many can be packed into a small
multiple, with beautiful and effective results, like this excellent example from The New
York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/07/20/us/drought-footprint.html
(https://nyti.ms/2HonHgJ)

• The term "small multiple" was popularized by Edward Tufte (https://bit.ly/2s0WGc9), but
these maps have been around for a long time:

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/12/14/digging-nineteenth-century-roots-thematic-map-
techniques (https://on.nypl.org/2IJZBfI)

• Learn from the Wikipedia community about small multiples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

/Small_multiple (https://bit.ly/2v5GydW)

• A small multiple of animated maps? Behold the awesomeness of Mike Bostock's looping
visualization of seasonal drought: https://bost.ocks.org/mike/drought/ (https://bit.ly/
2GTMp7S)

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