How Much Hillshade is Too Much for Choropleth Maps?

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I recently did two maps of Northern Schoharie County’s Median Household Income. I did one with hillshade exaggeration set to 5x while the other one was the normal 1x that I use on both maps. I am divided on which is the prettier map.

Moderate Hillshade

42nd Birthday!

More Extreme Hillshade

I kind of like both maps, but I think the more extreme hillshade is distracting. On the other hand, the more extreme hillshade does bring out the terrain better, and make it easier to perceive the edge of each census blockgroup.

This may be terrain dependent. In a flatter part of the state, such as along Lake Ontario, it may make more sense to increase the amount of hillshade to better capture some of the details of the landscape.

Wondering what is the best level of hillshade for use in choropleth maps.

Storm Didn’t Break Any Records

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1653676_851763521504607_467829938_nAccording to the Albany NWS and Upstate Weather:

The 14.4 inches measured at the Albany International Airport falls just short of the Top 10 Greatest February snowstorm list, although 16 inches was measured at the National Weather Service office on the University at Albany – SUNY campus.

It brings the seasonal total at Albany International Airport to 62.4 inches, which is now over our average seasonal total of 59.1 inches. (Image via NWS)

 

The Valentine's Day 2014 snow storm didn't break any records for February weather.