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The Urban Magnet Effect

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About the map

With the release of the 2021 census data to the public domain and to The Living Atlas, we take a first look at the latest population data for England.

With the census data being such an important part of understanding the building blocks of our society, there is no better way to celebrate its release than explore some modern trends. Dive into regional age analysis and discover the trends in your area.

 

Why it works

Cartography and layout were both critical factors to this map’s design. One big decision was to split the layout into regional boundaries to drill into the hotspots of each region.

We decided to use primary and secondary colours to really define the data’s categorical groups. Dot transparency was also an important cartographic tool, allowing viewers to not only see the dominating age group but also allow for a gentle glimpse at other age groups that start to come through.

Important Steps

  • 1.

    Configure the symbology. Once you have your data, you need to think how it can be effectively displayed to a user.

     

  • 2.

    We configured the basemap using the ArcGIS Vector Tile Style Editor to remove map labels and darken land and sea to make our dot density points really pop.

  • 3.

    Simplify the polygons if they are merely for reference, as these are. They can sometimes be overwhelming and take the focus away from your data. Then mute those colours to keep the spotlight on your data!

  • 4.

    Mask the surroundings. Adding a mask to blur or darken the regions that are not in focus in a particular frame draws the viewer’s focus to the key message.

  • 5.

    Check the drawing order. By using charts in ArcGIS Pro, we can see our dominating age groups and draw them in an appropriate order to accurately present the data.

     

  • 6.

    Imagine the layout. Think carefully about how to arrange the map and its elements to engage your viewers. A map is only as good as its presentation!

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Requirements

  • Data and software

    For this map we used population data which is available in The ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. We also used a dataset from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to surround and highlight the regions in focus.

  • Analysis

    We took the ‘Age by Single Year’ fields and used a spatial join to build an expression that would join these individual ages together. We then took the ONS dataset and simplified the polygons to get a simpler shape. 

  • Time

    Once a spatial join was complete, deciding on the age bands was a process of trial and error. This, and the region-by-region map layout, took the most time.

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Tips and tricks

  • Layout

    Think carefully about how you want to present your data and don’t be afraid to try the road less travelled. A more interesting layout means a more interesting map!

  • Masking

    Masking is a really good way to draw the focus to your data. By darkening surrounding regions, we keep some geographic context.

  • Trial and error is normal

    Don’t be afraid to spot a weak area of research and change direction, you don’t know what works until you map it!

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Links & Resources

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Ebony Webster, Graduate

Map Author

Ebony Webster

Ebony is on the graduate programme at Esri UK and has a background in physical geography. Outside of work, Ebony enjoys recreational flying and reading (not at the same time).

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