Mixing your data types

Mixing Data Types
Mixing Data Types

You know what they say about mixing your drinks?

Map Maker allows you to mix points, lines and polygons, but for serious data collection purposes this is to be discouraged. Map Maker has 2 other vector types Text and Rulers, so mixing can be hazardous.  If you have used on-line mapping applications, like Google Maps, you will see the immediate benefits of data layer separation.

One obvious advantage is that you can create a range of different maps quite easily from the multiple data sets you’ve just created, even though you can set the styles of lines quite independently within a single layer too.

So, it is always good practice that each layer contain only a discrete set of data e.g. a set of lines representing paths should be separate from a set of lines representing roads.

While further differentiation between road types is possible using styles, consider whether analyses, presentations or maps might benefit from separation.

Also if you maintain a range of discrete /  smaller data sets, it won’t take so long to recover them, should they get corrupted, deleted or otherwise lost.  You can always merge layers later, if need be.

The illustration shows a range of the vector data types that Map Maker supports (Polygon, Line, Symbol or Point, Measurement, Pencil, Rectangle, Circle, Note).

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