ABSTRACT
A word of warning: there is a small amount of code in this chapter. It’s in a format similar to CartoCSS. Most digital maps today are created with code, whether it’s JavaScript, CartoCSS, or something else. The code is there to illustrate a few points, but don’t get caught up too much in how things are done in the code, as it will be different depending on what tools you use to create your digital maps. Speaking of tools, there will be different design decisions, constraints, and opportunities available with each tool or set of tools. D3, a JavaScript library, provides the ability to make maps in any projection, while most other technologies don’t. TileMill has easy-to-use compositing capabilities for adding advanced artistic-like touches to a map. The Google API has helpful documentation and tutorials on deploying to Android devices, but doesn’t allow for custom basemap making. Choose your tools by considering the pluses and minuses of each. A map stack is a suite of technologies that are combined to manage data, and make and serve web maps. As of this printing, some of the most popular tools are the aforementioned as well as Leaflet, OpenLayers, and ArcGIS Online.
