Analytical Data for Communicating GIS

Possibly one of my favorite assignments within the GIS Certificate courses so far, this week we created an infographic using our choice of variables. We were able to chose from a 2018 spreadsheet of heath and demographic statistical data, much of which was already normalized. I chose to address the relationship between adults that report frequent mental distress, and an insufficient amount of sleep. Hopefully, the infographic will speak well for itself:

I played a lot with the layout, and now have a new appreciation for the skill it takes to make infographics look smooth and professional. I chose friendly warm and cool color hues and made them consistent throughout the graphics, created a scatter plot to demonstrate the linear relationship between my variables, and did a simple pie graphic of the female versus male ratios for each variable. 

Additionally, I added a few cited facts and useful methods for improving mental health and sleep habits. For the choropleth maps, I sorted the categories to clearly show the highs and lows, removed county boundaries, and added state boundaries. It was extremely strange not adding a scale bar or north arrow to the maps, and had such an intense feeling that I had forgotten something important... 

Next week is our final assignment, then on to the final project - check back soon!