Cartography

This pretty cool. While cartography is not precisely what I do for a living, it certainly is related to the GIS work that I do.

My work is, in theory, more about software development process, requirements, testing, and Zzzzzzz. In actuality, I really enjoy the time I find to create and relate GIS data sets, however obscure. I did several unauthorized ones for my VDOT employers, starting out on them over my lunch time. They liked them. I finished them. They published them. Now, they make up at least half the data layers you would see on the mapping application that the public accesses - The Online Transportation Information Map.

I created all the little fiddly bits like the layers for the train stations and airports, and such. What I think is particularly fun with these layers is that I hyperlinked a lot of them. If you activate the lightning bolt tool for any layer that you are displaying that shows a bolt next to the layer name, then when you click on the symbol on the map it opens a new window linked to that site. In other words, if you display airports, and then click on the website for Dulles in D.C., then the official Dulles website comes up.