Using MAPublisher to create the Natural Earth - Tom Patterson, Avenza UC 2021

Most of us use MAPublisher to import and manipulate geospatial data when we make maps in Adobe Illustrator. My talk will discuss the reverse of this workflow—how I use MAPublisher to create and update Natural Earth vector data. Using recent hydro updates as examples, I will show how to generalize and smooth river and lakes, add attributes to these features, and how to export them as shapefiles. Besides MAPublisher, I use the standard tools in Adobe Illustrator, plus a couple of scripts that are available for free. This workflow, which combines the graphical capabilities of Adobe Illustrator and the geospatial awareness of MAPublisher, provides a visual method to create cartographic vectors. As I create the data, I can inspect the results on an actual map.

Presented at the Avenza User Conference on May 12th, 2021

The Avenza User Conference is a free, day-long virtual conference for map makers, GIS enthusiasts, and geospatial professionals worldwide who share a common interest in Avenza mapping technology.

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Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools to make better maps. Avenza also offers the mobile Avenza Maps app to sell, purchase, distribute, and use maps on iOS and Android devices.