What do the colors on our maps represent?
Raven Maps bring the U.S.G.S. materials up to date with current roads and reservoirs. We then go far beyond the originals by adding color tints to depict elevation. The colors progress from greens at lower elevations, through yellows and browns, to grey and finally white at the highest altitudes in the mountainous states. This sequence of color steps replaces the abstraction of contour lines with a graphic picture of elevation.-- and, in combination with the relief shading, of the entire landform.
We have been publishing maps for over twenty years. In that time, many people have asked for more information about how we actually go about making or building a map.
Maps must be accurate, but they should also be beautiful. Raven's state wall maps were prepared using base materials originally produced by the U.S. Geological Survey for their definitive 1:250,000 scale series. These extremely detailed bases identify thousands of features, even minor lakes and streams ignored by most maps. We have maps for all 50 states. On the Hawaii map, the technique is extended to the ocean floor with a startlingly three-dimensional result. |