It uses conventional symbols as its language. Different types of phenomena or data require different mapping techniques. For example, an agriculture map of Virginia would show that tobacco is the dominant commercial product of Southside, beef cattle the dominant commercial product of the Valley of Virginia, and so forth. The physiographic map of Virginia that you will be constructing is a qualitative thematic map because it is only telling that different kinds of surface configuration and subsurface geology occur in different regions of the state. Quantitative maps on the other hand show differences in amount or degree of a given phenomenon.
Numerical data are the sources of information.
These may be sums or totals, percents, means, medians, and so forth. We will work with each of these types in course assignments. Return to course homepage .