Bathymetric Map of Lake Tahoe

http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/pacmaps/lt-shd.html

Bathymetric Maps, otherwise known as seafloor mapping, is the representation of sub-water features. This map of Lake Tahoe shows the depth through a color shaded relief. The green shading is areas of rapid decline. Lake Tahoe has a uniform bottom layer consisting of few elevated features. These maps are taken with LIDAR and other remote sensing technologies that penetrate the water and provide accurate elevation recordings.  

Isotherm Map of the U.S.

http://www.middleschoolscience.com/isotherms.htm

Isotherm maps represent temperature differences across a given area. In this example, the surface temperature is graphed across North America. The graph indicates very high temperates in the southeast, southwest and middle U.S. The temperatures start to drop near the northern Rocky Mountains and into Canada. Theses measurements were taken in June and help explain the extent of high temperatures. The contour lines represent areas of equal surface temperature.

Circle Graph of Budget Plan

http://www.basic-mathematics.com/circle-graphs.html

Circle Graphs or pie-charts are efficient methods of graphing proportionally. In this graph, a current budget plan is graphed to designate different expenses in hopes of managing money more effectively. All circle graphs will summate to 100% and can be used to show simple relationships such as political party or area land use. 

Bivariate Choropleth Map

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/natureofgeoinfo/c6_p6.html

Bivariate Choropleth Maps analyze two separate variable using different visual markers. This technique is used to compare two variable to see if a relationship exists. This map of the U.S. shows the capacity for ethanal facilities and crop acreage. The areas where crop acreage is highest correspond to the greatest capacity for ethanol production. 

Unclassed Choropleth Map of Life Expectancy

http://blog.thematicmapping.org/2008_06_01_archive.html

Unclassed choropleth maps are smilier to classed choropleth maps but lack an averaged intervals. These maps are useful in showing the differences of a tested variable over a given area. This maps depicts the life expectancy in Africa over percentile color shaded scale.

Continuously Variable Proportional Circle Map of Canadian Territories

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/mgeo/thematic

Continuously Variable Proportional Circle Maps show the frequency of a variable in non-proportianl intervals. This map of Canada show the amount of territories and provinces through the circles. The intervals are arbitrarily chosen to select convenient breaks in the data. These maps are useful in comparing randomly arranged variables.

Population Profile of Australian Indignity

http://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/indigenous-australians/publications-articles/closing-the-gap/closing-the-gap-on-indigenous-disadvantage-the-challenge-for-australia-2009?HTML

Population Profiles are proportional graphs showing the percentage of a particular interval as compared to the entire population. In this population profile, non-indigenous population are plotted against indigenous ones. A trend exists between both female and male populations. The percentage of indigenous inhabitants is far greater at younger ages then non-indigenous. This indicates that most immigrants decide to move at mid level ages (20-54). Population profile graphs are useful in visualizing the proportions of population based on age or another variable such as income. 

DLG Map of Southwestern U.S.

http://geochange.er.usgs.gov/sw/resources/sw_basemap/

Digital Line Graphs, or DLGs, are similar to DRG in their derivation from USGS topographical maps, however, they are represented through vectors rather then raster cells. On a normal view, one would never be able to see the actual vectors because they are far too small. DLGs are distributed by the USGS for use in mapping and GIS systems. These georeferenced images are incredibly useful for visualizing land use coverage. This map of the Southwestern U.S. used a DLG to characterize the topography based on Federal land ownership. 

DRG Maps

http://www.holoscenes.com/special/drg_sources.html

Digital Raster Graphics, or DRGs, are scanned images of USGS topographical maps. The images are generally georeferenced to particular datums to resolve distortion. Boundaries are generally incorporated form the original scanned images. DRGs are very proficient when used with GIS software. DRG's can be imported and then modified to show detailed topographical information. 

Isopleth Map of Ammonium Ion Concentration

http://nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/isopleths/maps2003/nh4.gif

Isopleth maps show the concentration of a particular meteorological function in the atmosphere. In this map, ammonium ion concentration is graphed through an interval color shade gradient. The darker colors correspond to higher levels of ammonium ion concentration. These maps are important for monitoring weather patterns and predicting future results. For instance, pollution concentration can be graphed and mapped for source location and dispersal analysis. 

Isopach Map of Mineral Coal

http://www.kgs.ku.edu/PRS/Coal/mineral.html

Isopach Maps represent differing areas of thickness over a given area. This is incredibly useful for studying stratigraphy and sedimentology. The map of mineral coal shows a color shaded map of subsurface thickness. This is an incredibly useful application when searching mining areas. The thickness of rocks correlate to their orthogenesis and composure. In the red shaded areas, thick subsurface geology occupies this area.  

Isotach Map of Florida

http://www.intellicast.com/National/Wind/WINDcast.aspx?location=USFL0479

Isotach Maps are visual representations of windspeed in a given area. The contour lines, similar to Isobars, show various levels of windspeed. The direction is normally indicated by a small arrow. These maps are useful for monitoring wind currents and predicting weather patterns. When building wind turbines, engineers reference Isotach maps to plan construction in frequent high velocity zones. This map shows the wind speeds in miles per hour surrounding florida. Notice how the the arrows and contour lines align with the green and blue pressure masses.

Isobar Map of Northern U.S.

https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/public/meteo/meteo101demo/Examples/Section2p07.html

Isobar maps depict differential masses of pressure. This is extremely useful for visualizing and describing weather patterns in a given area. This graph shows the low pressure air mass forming over Lake Michigan and how its interacting with the local high pressure masses. The isolines show areas of equal pressure across the gradient. These maps can be used to predict future weather patterns.

Lidar Imagery of Urban Development

https://www.leidos.com/geospatial/modeling/lidar-urban-modeling

LIDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging and as opposed to methods such as RADAR, LIDAR uses the electromagnetic properties of visible light to retrieve data. LIDAR imagery is normally taken by a plane retrofitted with LIDAR technology. Millions of light particles are shot out and reflected back to the retriever. In this image, the elevation of different buildings in and urbanized city are depicted through a color scale. LIDAR's primary use is for accurately recording and visualizing elevation data.

Doppler Imaging of Hurricane Frances

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2311.htm

The Doppler Radar is a unit that uses Radar technology and the Doppler Shift formula to determine the velocity of air masses based on distance. This Doppler Image shows Hurricane Frances as it makes contact with the east coast of Florida. The color shading corresponds to varying wind velocities. The wind speed is greater around the perimeter of the hurricane because of centrifugal forces. 

Black and White Aerial Photography

https://lta.cr.usgs.gov/NAPP

Black and White aerial photography is the oldest form of aerial photography but still has many useful applications. Black and White aerial photographs are useful in cartography in helping identify physical features such as rivers and coastlines. This aerial photo shows a river system and how it interacts with the surrounding environment. These aerial photos, however, have drawbacks in the distortion around the horizon of the photograph. This is caused by angular differences in the distance of land being observed

Infrared Aerial Photography

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=Ye82qlBS0orUnM&tbnid=NPBd-DqP6dO7VM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Faerialarchives.photoshelter.com%2Fgallery%2FInfrared-Aerial-Photography%2FG0000FeWbK1_GNLQ%2F&ei=R0bcU_7YDsir8gGhtYGwCw&bvm=bv.72197243,d.b2U&psig=AFQjCNHiBvn4xa9yEy12RpwUzF33_ff87w&ust=1407031238656402

Infrared Aerial photography is a relatively modern technique that has many reasonable uses. When using infrared wavelength in spectrometry, the reflective colors of objects on the ground are useful for identification. For instance, in this photo the vast red fields depict healthy vegetation growth. The chlorophyll in plants is highly reflective of red and infrared wavelengths, producing a red image after development. Infrared Aerial photography is incredibly useful for monitoring the health and patterns of agricultural growth 

Statistical Map of Police Misconduct

http://www.policemisconduct.net/npmsrp-2009-preliminary-police-misconduct-statistical-report/

Statistical maps are any type of map that incorporates some type of averaged data over a particular area. This map shows the frequency of police misconduct reports in each state. The colored scaled bar helps visualize the intensity and concentration of these incidents. Statistical maps come in various forms but are most widely used for visualizing trends in occurrence and concentration. 

Flow Map of Migration to Canada

http://evansullivan.wikispaces.com/Chapter+1+Maps

Flow maps are visual maps of progressional movement from one place to another. Flow maps can also include thought progression and does not necessarily have to be geospatial. This flow map represents the migration of refugees into Canada between 1990 and 1999. The width of the line represent the population of refugee movement. All lines from the East converge in the Atlantic and form a thick band representing over 90,000 people. These maps are very good for depicting displacement accompanied by another variable such as population. 

Isoline Map of Texan Rainfall

http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/innovativewater/rainwater/roofrunoff.asp

Isoline Maps depict lines of equipotential gradients. Despite what variable is being measured, the isoline shows where differences in the variable being measured share an equal value. This map of Texas shows the annual accumulation of rainfall. The blue colors indicate areas of higher rainfall while the red areas indicate sparse rainfall. The isolines between different colors represent areas of equal rainfall.

Proportional Circle Density Map of Hispanic Population

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/natureofgeoinfo/book/export/html/1553

Similar to dot density maps, Proportional Circle maps show the concentration of a given variable in different proportions. Larger circles represent larger proportions. In this map, the circles represent three classifications of the Hispanic Population. The location of the circle is representative to the midpoint of all locations in the state. 

Dot Density Map of Hispanic Population

https://www.e-education.psu.edu/natureofgeoinfo/book/export/html/1553

Dot Density maps are visual representations of frequency. A single dot is used to represent a fixed number of a given variable. The clustering of dots show greater concentrations of the variable. These maps are useful in visualizing the relationship of variable density over a given area. This map shows the concentration of Hispanic population locations in the U.S. The data seems to be uniform in Florida, Texas, California and New York but the other states concentrations seem to have more of a random pattern.

Propoganda Map of Texas

http://www.art.com/products/p14397639-sa-i1003951/texans-map-of-us.htm?aff=conf&ctid=0&rfid=765804&tkid=15069193&

Propoganda Maps are geospatially distorted maps to show area in a particular viewpoint. This map of the U.S. depicts Texas as taking up the entire state. This comes from the Texas culture of "everything's bigger". Cultural views play a huge role in the creation of propaganda maps. Their very nature is used to falsify the proportion of a given area.

Hypsometric Map of the U.S.

http://www.skyterrain.com/info.htm

Hypsometric maps are two-dimensional interpretation of a 3D surface. The use of Hypsometric maps are to visually elevation and relief. A color gradient is used to help show the range of height. This map shows a topographical profile of the U.S. The dark brown areas on the West Coast show the extensive mountain ranges of the Rockies and other relief features. These maps are very useful when trying to compare two different locations based on elevation. 

PLSS Map of Kansas

http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pic20/pic20_1.html

Public Land Survey Systems, or PLSS, are maps describing the township and range of public land. This PLSS of Kansas shows the official county lines overlying township and range divisions. These maps are important for legal reasons involving permits and jurisdiction. These divisions also are related to political zones. 

Cadastral Map

http://maps.geshergalicia.org/references/index.html

Cadastral Maps are planimetric maps that show land plot owner. These maps are extremely useful in real estate for use of mapping properties and prospects. This cadastre shows the different ownership of land plots in a small town. Most of the green area is probably owned by the town itself or perhaps agricultural grounds. White plots are open plots that are currently up for sale.

Thematic Map of Presidential Electoral Count

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/steve-lombardo/2008/07/20-week/

Thematic maps are generic maps used to express a common theme across the display. This thematic map shows the 2008 Presidential electoral count between McCain and Obama. The values are totaled in the legend and each state shows the number of counts as well.

Topographic Map Surrounding Lake Pleasant

http://www.nyroute30.com/mappages/spectopo.php

Topographic Maps represent the surficial geography of an area through the use of contour and elevation lines and shading techniques. The primary feature of Topographic Maps are to highlight differences in elevation and features of relief. This map of Lake Pleasant highlights distinct relief features and can help explain the hydrology of the area. The floodplain of the northern river is also highlighted. Topographical Maps are 2 dimensional maps that help visualize relief. Some Topographic Maps have underlying Digital Elevation Models to help highlight more features.

Planimetric Map of Baltimore

https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/34269

Planimetric maps are basic aerial images that depict surficial features, independent of height. Roads, lakes and parks are all planimetric features usually represented in aerial maps. This planimetric map of Baltimore shows the street grid and other basic flat features.

Mental Mapping of Town

http://www.fedstats.gov/kids/mapstats/concepts_mentalmaps.html

Mental Maps are visual displays of an area based on memory and personal experience. Mental Maps are a translation of geospatial positioning from ones own thoughts and memories. Detail is never very high and a majority of the maps are usually very generalized. This maps depicts someones mental image of a nearby town. 

DOQQ

http://www.geomart.com/products/geodata/digital.htm

Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quads, or DOQQs, are aerial images produced by the USGS that have been post processed and orthorectified to a resolution of 1-meter. This process eliminates planular distortion. This DOQQ shows a bottleneck forming in the middle of a river. DOQQ's are used frequently in GIS projects for easy georeferencing. This is a procedure used for change over time analysis such as shoreline change or river bank formation.

Digital Elevation Model

https://www.ems-i.com/WMS/wms.html

DEM, or Digital Elevation Models, are 3D representations of surface topography. A colored scale is used to show the difference in elevation. Grey scales can be used by colored scales can highlight unforeseen features. In this DEM, a ridge is depicted between two mountain features. The red shading indicate the low points on the map. The blue represents the highest features. Color shading can help depict differential elevation between separate features of relief.

Standardized Choropleth Map of Population

http://support.sas.com/kb/25/555.html

Standardized Choropleth Maps are thematic maps where the data is visually represent on a color scale into grouped intervals. This map shows the population per square mile by state in a grouping of six intervals. The data is averaged so the exact quantitative value cannot be extracted.

Nominal Area Choropleth Map of Minority Population

https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/courses/geog482/policies.shtml

Nominal Area Choropleth Maps are used to describe nominal data through a series of grouped characteristics. This map depicts the highest density of minority population per state. It lacks the quantitative value of percentage but is useful in showing how overall minority patterns.

Lorenz Curve of GINI Index

http://www.worldbank.org/depweb/english/beyond/global/chapter5.html

The Lorenz Curve is a percentile graph of total population versus total income. The Lorenz Curve itself is the segment representing the equality of a given economy. For instance, this graph shows that Hungary is much closer to absolute equality over Brazil. The apex of the curve usually can describe the middle class of an economy.

Climograph of Adelaide

http://mrordovensky.edublogs.org/2011/12/20/all-classes-climograph-and-question-worksheet-due-tomorrow-quiz-thurs-1222/

Climographs are visual representations of average rainfall and precipitation. Both variables are plotted on the same graph but different scales are used for each. This graph shows the precipitation and average monthly temperature in Adelaide, Australia. The peak for precipitin occurs in the sumer month from May-August. At this same time, the average temperature experiences a low point. Because Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, they experience Winter while we our in Summer. This graph shows and inverse relationship between precipitation and average temperature.

Wind Rose of French Landfill

http://blog.odotech.com/?Tag=organic+waste+management+odor

Wind Roses are cardinal direction maps of windspeed and intensity. They are useful in visualizing wind patterns over a given period of time or under certain conditions. This Wind Rose indicates that a strong presence of Northerly and Northeastern winds occur in this area. It is most common for the windspeed to be between 2-8 m/s. These maps can predict trends in wind patterns that can be used to explain weather patterns or surficial geology.

Triangle Plot of Dietary Elements

http://www.visitusers.org/index.php?title=Ternary_Plot

Triangle Plots are graphical comparisons of 3 different variables. Each side of the triangle consists of separate variables on a percentage scale. And index such as coloring is used to highlight patterns that exist between the presence of each variable. In this plot, the color corresponds to an index based on variance. The colors depict a change in variance based on the differing input values of each variable. Triangle plots are also very useful in depicting soil profiles through common earth elements.

Stem and Leaf Plot of Infant Mortality Rates

http://walshmath01056.wikispaces.com/Mean,+Median,+Mode,+and+Range+Line+Plot+%26+Stem-and-Leaf+Plots

Stem-and-Leaf Plots are convenient graphical representations of single variable distribution. The Stem consists of the main unit while the Leaf shows subdivisions of that unit. Stem-and-Leaf plots are good for showing distribution patterns such as age variance and work hours. This graph shows mortality rates and their frequency.

Similarity Matrix of BMI

http://www.lonestarbands.com/bmi.asp

Similarity Matrices are visual representations of two variables being compared over a set of indexed values. An index must be created so the two sets of variables can be compared on a common scale. This Similarity Matrix compares the Body Mass Index between height and weight. A series of four colored bands show the ranges of BMI category. For instance, 6'1" person weighing 165 would fall into the Normal Weight category. 

Correlation Matrix of Asset Allocation

http://pragcap.com/asset-class-correlation-matrix

Correlation Matrices describe the correlation between two sets of variables. The values will always form a right triangle with the hypotenuse consisting of all 1.0 values showing full correlation. This Correlation Matrix shows the correlation between different real estate assets. The values will always be on a -1 to 1 scale. The closer the value is to 1, the greater the correlation exists between asset allocation. For instance, Private Equity and Real Estate have a 92% correlation showing a high similarity between asset allocation. 

Index Value Plot of ENSO History

http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/people/klaus.wolter/MEI/

Index Value Plots are graphs of a variable plotted on a indexed scale. The horizontal axis is generally 

a unit of time as Index Value Plots are beneficial for representing oscillating data such as intermittent glacial time periods. This graph shows the occurrence of El Niño over a 60 year period. Notice how since 1975 the occurrence of El Niño has been more frequent and with greater intensity. This could be linked to rising ocean temperatures. Index Value Plots are good for cross referencing particular values  to other scales of time.

Cartogram of Popular Store Locations

http://www.greenbookblog.org/2012/11/15/cartograms-a-visualization-technique-for-researchers/


Cartograms are maps of thematic variables based on concentration. The geometry of the maps features are distorted to highlight the areas where the variables are greatest. Cartograms are hybrid maps because they start with a base, such a planimetric map, and then incorporate distortion density. This cartogram shows the concentration of Walmart, McDonalds and Starbucks store locations in America. All three maps are similar because the eastern and middle United States show a uniform distribution of locations. Then in the northern U.S., store locations lose density and distort the map. On the West Coast, especially in California, the concentration of store locations increase significantly.

Histogram Age Related Physical Activity

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/numeracy/histograms

Histograms represent equal intervals of a continuos variable and the frequency of their occurrence on the vertical axis. This histogram shows the percentage of men spending at least one hour per week participating in exercise grouped by age. The graph shows that roughly 62% of the 16-24 age group participate in sports activities. This histogram also shows a trend in the decrease of active participation as age increases.

Bilateral Graph of Asset Percentages

http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/examinations/supervisory/insights/siwin09/Interest_Rate_Risk.html

Bilateral graphs compare two series of trends on a 2 dimensional plot. These graphs are good for depicting the relationship of change in time between two units. This bilateral graph is comparing the percent of assets between long-term mortgage and construction and development loans. The graph shows that as construction and develop loans increase over time, long-term mortgage assets decrease. In 2005 a cross over occurs when construction and developments loans show a greater percent of assets than long-term mortgage. The two trends meet at 8% assets in 2009.

Scatterplot of Shopper Frequency During Store Opening

http://www.mathworksheetscenter.com/mathtips/datagraphs.html

Scatterplots represent a function of two variables plotted on a 2 dimensional axis. The x-axis is the independent variable and the y-axis is the response or dependent variable. In this scatterplot, the number of shoppers entering a store are plotted against 15-minute intervals from the opening time of a store. The graph has a positive correlation showing an increase in shoppers as time increases from the opening of the store. The solid black line is known as a trend line representing the "best fit" of the two variables. The r-squared value is an index for the correlation of the two variables. In this graph, a 74% correlation exists between the number of shoppers increasing after the opening time of the store.

Box Plot of Base Salary Comparison

http://nelsontouchconsulting.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/behold-the-box-plot/

A box plot focuses on graphing variables based on their quartiles. The main boxes represent the middle 50% of the population, or the area between the first and third quartile. The "whiskers" represent the upper and lower quartiles and the red line in the middle of the boxes show the populations median. This box plot is comparing the base salary of marketing vs. research jobs. Average marketing salaries are greater than research salaries and marketing salaries have a great interquartile range.

Star Plot Elements Influencing Test Scores

http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Assessment-tools-resources/Alignment-of-tools-with-the-National-Standards/Reading/Observation-Survey

This star chart is a graphical representation of 5 elements that are thought to influence reading test score abilities. The length of the colored lines represent the value or intensity of the element. The varying colors represent different candidates who tested in these 5 areas. This star chart allows  the viewer to see the strength of each element and if relationships exist between them.