This is a presentation about a number of typographic maps I have been involved in producing using surname data. I presented this at #geomobLDN in May 2011
2. This Talk… Why surnames and where did I get them from? Typographic maps. Combining the two: National Geographic Surnames of N. America. London Surnames. Feedback.
11. Making the London Map Unlike NGM no team of designers (+interns)... ArcGIS 10 Maplex labeling. Creation of rules for font size, colour, location. Surnames from Electoral Roll and their origins derived from Onomap. OSM Thames, OS Opendata boundaries. Used Adobe Illustrator for finishing touches. Exported to PNG. Biggest challenge was to find the most appropriate geography.
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13. Interactive 15 PNGs tiled the displayed using OpenLayers. Users could transition from 1st to 15th most popular surnames. 2379 unique surnames. > 15,000 labels. Pan and Zoom. Not georeferenced. Thanks to Oliver O’Brien
16. London Surnames Feedback 40 seconds average time on website. People like controversy: When labeling surname origins have to be careful about: Colour. Wording. Categories. Can’t please everyone but try to respond to suggestions.