The creation of static maps

To create our static 'hardcopy' maps we have been using QGIS, a free and open source GIS software. It is quite simple to use, however; a tedious process to retrieve the fine detail necessary for producing quality maps.

For all of the maps produced, the format of displaying the map elements is constant; as seen in the one hardcopy map provided below.

Map layout:

-The bottom of the map, from left to right, shows: an inset map of where the region is found within Gauteng, South Africa; a scale bar set in kilometers; some metadata about the map itself; a north arrow and the map's legend.

-The top of the map, from left to right, shows: the companies logo and the title of the map.

-The middle of the map. Between the top and bottom sections described above is the actual map depiction.

This is a constant layout seen in all of our hardcopy maps for demo 2

Once the maps had been created, they were critiqued by my fellow project team members. An extended discussion endured about which elements and layers for the maps were appropriate or not appropriate according to how it fit with the theme of the map and the general styling. In some cases, the necessity of labeling was determined and whether the said labels should be of a single color theme for all the points or have multiple color themes for the different healthsite types. We ended up going with the single color theme for all label healthsite types for that scenario.