NACIS 2018

Be a Cartography Expert in Three Easy Steps
Kate Leroux, Amazon
1. Attend the NACIS conference.  2. Follow Kate's tips and guidelines on what to record about the conference while you're here.  3. Dazzle your local colleagues and geo community with a presentation about the highlights of the conference. We all know NACIS is overflowing with fascinating cartographic content. You can show off presenters' research, creativity, and eye-catching maps to raise your own profile back home, while promoting NACIS and the cartographers whose work you highlight. Kate will equip you to be a cartography maven by sharing what she’s learned from three years of giving presentations about the NACIS conference.

The Automated Map Taxonomy Chart: A Map Maker's Companion
Nathaniel Slaughter, Mapbox
Historically, cartographers have abstracted map features from geographic relationships because it is difficult to to plan, design and convey cartographic details within the visual complexity of the map itself.
We have developed a tool, an interactive "taxonomy chart," that allows the designer to isolate map elements and assists in the planning, design and documentation phases of a project. It lays out, in chart form, all map elements at all zoom levels, and can sync with any style.json file, accessible in Mapbox Studio. Proposed is a presentation of this tool, how it works and our plans for further development.

WebGL Basics (3D in the Browser!) for Cartographers
James Miller, FlashMapper LLC
Ever wanted to create 3D for the web? Here are the basics, including creating a scene, objects, lighting, camera, and adding interactive controls. Walkthrough involves making a globe orbiting the sun and importing a 3D terrain. Includes tips for mobile, responsive design, and accessibility.

Commanding Cartography: Take Control of Faster, More Elegant Workflows from the Command Line
Joshua Stevens, Earth Observatory
Compelling cartography has never been easier or more abundant. We are inundated with new tools and technologies. All the while, one of the most powerful assets in the cartographer's arsenal is being overlooked: the command line. Using keystrokes to create maps might sound like a task of yesteryear, but I am here to tell you it is a wormhole to the future. Whether you design maps for national parks or newsrooms, the terminal will enable you to supercharge your workflows with speed and elegance. This talk will introduce some old tricks and new tools for designers on any deadline.

Mapping the Black Canyon of the Gunnison: Steep, Deep, and Narrow, a Cartographic Journey
Joe Milbrath, National Park Service
Steep, deep, and narrow. Three words that describe the beauty and awe of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. They're also words that can cause cartographic nightmares. This presentation will focus on four maps that highlight the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park in the latest Unigrid brochure. I'll describe the workflow and techniques used to create a natural color planimetric orientation park map, a 3D oblique inset map of the canyon's rim trails, a vector wilderness map, and a regional 3D map illustrating the hydrography of the Gunnison River.