{"id":634052,"date":"2019-10-11T17:42:04","date_gmt":"2019-10-12T00:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=634052"},"modified":"2024-08-06T15:34:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T22:34:43","slug":"reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s","title":{"rendered":"Reference Size Maps: Learning from the ’60s with a new mapping theme"},"author":6751,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[22941],"tags":[96582,42641,23171,40161,31301],"industry":[],"product":[36581,36831,36551,36601,37011],"class_list":["post-634052","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mapping","tag-arcgis-api-for-javascript","tag-arcgis-online","tag-basemaps","tag-living-atlas-of-the-world","tag-symbology","product-arcgis-living-atlas","product-js-api-arcgis","product-arcgis-online","product-developers","product-esri-demographics"],"acf":{"short_description":"Discover a new way to visualize your data using Reference Size maps.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","content":"

This blog article was originally written on October 11, 2019. Since then, the team released the new Reference Size maps, formally known as “Wurman Dots”. A few updates were made to this blog article in August 2024.<\/p>\n

Check out the Map Viewer Adds Reference Size Maps<\/a> and Map Density Using Reference Size Theme for Binning<\/a> articles to learn more!<\/p>\n","image_reference":false,"layout":"standard","image_reference_figure":"","snippet":"","spotlight_name":"","section_title":"","position":"Center","spotlight_image":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Reference Size maps represent values through various fill amounts within gridded circles. We call this theme “Reference Size” because the outer ring represents a size value you can use as a reference for approximating a feature’s value.<\/p>\n

Richard Saul Wurman’s 1966 book Urban Atlas: 20 American Cities <\/em>inspired the style. The maps in the book express density using a symbol whose inner fill is based on the population density value for that cell. More filled-in symbols represent higher values. Areas with no value are not symbolized and the basemap reveals why; railyards, rivers, or other features help the reader understand that the statistic being measured is not experienced as a continuous surface across the land.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634532,"id":634532,"title":"","filename":"OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","filesize":283443,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/originalwurmandotsfrombook","alt":"Wurman Dots from Urban Atlas book","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"This map from the book Urban Atlas displays population density at the city scale.","name":"originalwurmandotsfrombook","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 03:12:22","modified":"2019-10-11 20:47:55","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":394,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":229,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":378,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","large-width":800,"large-height":394,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":394,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":394,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","card_image-width":800,"card_image-height":394,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/OriginalWurmanDotsFromBook.png","wide_image-width":800,"wide_image-height":394}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Over 50 years later, the style is making a comeback. The example below, created using ArcGIS Online and the ArcGIS API for JavaScript, shows the percentage of forest cover within 30km grids. The lush Appalachia stands out with its full, dark green dots while cities with less forest cover, like Springfield, Illinois and Columbus, Ohio, contain smaller green dots.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634232,"id":634232,"title":"Forest Cover Legend","filename":"PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","filesize":41100,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/percentforestcoverlegend","alt":"Forest cover legend","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"percentforestcoverlegend","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 01:38:13","modified":"2019-10-11 22:19:14","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":400,"height":153,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","medium-width":400,"medium-height":153,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","medium_large-width":400,"medium_large-height":153,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","large-width":400,"large-height":153,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","1536x1536-width":400,"1536x1536-height":153,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","2048x2048-width":400,"2048x2048-height":153,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-826x315.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":315,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/PercentForestCoverLegend-e1570761952144.png","wide_image-width":400,"wide_image-height":153}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634412,"id":634412,"title":"Percent Forest Cover","filename":"ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","filesize":259214,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/forestwithoutlegendandyellowcircles","alt":"Forest cover map","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"forestwithoutlegendandyellowcircles","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 02:25:15","modified":"2019-10-11 22:19:02","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1358,"height":871,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","medium-width":407,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":493,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","large-width":1358,"large-height":871,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","1536x1536-width":1358,"1536x1536-height":871,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","2048x2048-width":1358,"2048x2048-height":871,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles-725x465.png","card_image-width":725,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestWithoutLegendAndYellowCircles.png","wide_image-width":1358,"wide_image-height":871}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Why use Reference Style maps?<\/strong><\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Thematic maps that use polygons of varying size (e.g., states, counties, or postal codes) suffer a significant problem with interpretation. Bigger polygons on the map get more attention simply because they are bigger. Is there a way to make the map show the subject such that any two areas could be directly comparable?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the question Richard Saul Wurman asked himself 50+ years ago.<\/p>\n

This map style is great for situations where you have lots of data across a wide area and can aggregate it into grid cells with equal area. Because all cells are equal area, you can map percentages, ratios, medians, averages, and counts. The style works well when you are trying to show where your map topic is concentrated and where there are gaps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Add a Variable<\/strong><\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Reference Size maps shine when you add another variable. The map<\/a> below illustrates the percentage of forest cover by the size<\/em> of the inner dot and the population by the dot’s color<\/em>. Orange dots represent highly populated areas while green dots represent areas with less population.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634312,"id":634312,"title":"Forest and Population Legend","filename":"Asset-7@600x-e1570759829303.png","filesize":199783,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-e1570759829303.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/asset-7600x","alt":"Forest cover and population legend","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"asset-7600x","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 02:09:03","modified":"2019-10-11 02:43:53","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":650,"height":498,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-e1570759829303.png","medium-width":341,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-e1570759829303.png","medium_large-width":650,"medium_large-height":498,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-e1570759829303.png","large-width":650,"large-height":498,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-e1570759829303.png","1536x1536-width":650,"1536x1536-height":498,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-e1570759829303.png","2048x2048-width":650,"2048x2048-height":498,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-607x465.png","card_image-width":607,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Asset-7@600x-1411x1080.png","wide_image-width":1411,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Notice how Connecticut and New York contain large, orange dots. This means that this is a densely populated area with lots of forest cover. Chicago also has orange dots, but the dots are much smaller because trees are sparse in that city. Atlanta, nicknamed the \u201cCity in the Forest\u201d, has a good number of trees, but is still filled with people.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634942,"id":634942,"title":"","filename":"LegendCalloutForests@600x.png","filesize":1830879,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/legendcalloutforests600x","alt":"Forest and population map with callouts","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"legendcalloutforests600x","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 07:28:46","modified":"2019-10-11 22:19:40","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":5926,"height":4172,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x.png","medium-width":371,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":541,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x.png","large-width":1534,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1081,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x.png","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1442,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x-660x465.png","card_image-width":660,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/LegendCalloutForests@600x-1534x1080.png","wide_image-width":1534,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

As you zoom in and out, the symbols automatically change size to maintain the gridded effect.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634162,"id":634162,"title":"Forest and Population","filename":"ForestPopulationGIF.gif","filesize":1458613,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF.gif","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/forestpopulationgif","alt":"Forest and population map gif","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"forestpopulationgif","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 01:05:56","modified":"2019-10-11 02:44:38","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/gif","type":"image","subtype":"gif","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":768,"height":576,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF-213x200.gif","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF.gif","medium-width":348,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF.gif","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF.gif","large-width":768,"large-height":576,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF.gif","1536x1536-width":768,"1536x1536-height":576,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF.gif","2048x2048-width":768,"2048x2048-height":576,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF-620x465.gif","card_image-width":620,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ForestPopulationGIF.gif","wide_image-width":768,"wide_image-height":576}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

The Inspiration<\/strong><\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

In 1966, Richard Saul Wurman and Joseph R. Passonneau published \u201cUrban Atlas: 20 American Cities. A Communication Study Notating Select Urban Data at a Scale of 1:48,000.<\/em>\u201d The book is an enormous format collection of over\u00a080\u00a0maps sized 54 cm wide by 46 cm tall, some of which even\u00a0fold out to double that size. Mr. Wurman shared this book with Esri staff years ago, and it has been an inspiration to me when working with statistical data.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634562,"id":634562,"title":"","filename":"UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","filesize":351844,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/urbanatlasbook","alt":"Urban Atlas book cover","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"urbanatlasbook","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 03:18:37","modified":"2019-10-11 03:18:48","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":500,"height":442,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","medium-width":295,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","medium_large-width":500,"medium_large-height":442,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","large-width":500,"large-height":442,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","1536x1536-width":500,"1536x1536-height":442,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","2048x2048-width":500,"2048x2048-height":442,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-526x465.png","card_image-width":526,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/UrbanAtlasBook-e1570763935700.png","wide_image-width":500,"wide_image-height":442}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

The Urban Atlas<\/em> transforms readers to 20 American cities mapped at an identical scale for selected topics like population density, income, religion and land use types. I’ve found the maps\u2019 style lends itself to single topics as well as multiple topics such as population density and income, or land use and population density. See more examples in the David Rumsey collection of maps from the Urban Atlas<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

The Data<\/strong><\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

To create the gridded effect of the Reference Size map, there are 3 simple steps that can all be done using ArcGIS Online’s out-of-the-box analysis tools.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. First, run the Generate Tessellations<\/a> tool for your study area. The forest map shown earlier used a 30km hexagon for the entire United States. For citywide maps, a smaller hexagon from 1 to 10km works better. Another option is to use an already generated hexbin layer from the Living Atlas<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  2. Second, run the Enrich Layer<\/a> tool to add information about people, places, and\/or businesses to the hexbins. The forest map used the \u201cPercent of Forest (NLCD)\u201d attribute.<\/li>\n
  3. Lastly, run the Find Centroids<\/a> tool to create a point layer that includes the newly enriched data.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    The Design<\/strong><\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    The map started with green to represent forest cover. When choosing the second color, it is important to choose ones that are colorblind-friendly. Run a colorblind simulator to help verify that the colors are distinguishable. The red and green map on the left does not pass the colorblind-safe test while the orange and green map on the right does.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634632,"id":634632,"title":"","filename":"ColorblindFriendly.png","filesize":602768,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/colorblindfriendly","alt":"Colorblind-friendly map","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"colorblindfriendly","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 05:03:47","modified":"2019-10-11 05:04:03","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1530,"height":1126,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly.png","medium-width":355,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":565,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly.png","large-width":1467,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly.png","1536x1536-width":1530,"1536x1536-height":1126,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly.png","2048x2048-width":1530,"2048x2048-height":1126,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly-632x465.png","card_image-width":632,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ColorblindFriendly-1467x1080.png","wide_image-width":1467,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    A well-designed basemap helps the layer shine even more. Using the Vector Tile Style Editor<\/a> and the human geography basemap as a starting point, the waterbody color went from gray to gray-green to support the layer\u2019s colors, and the land, boundaries, and labels changed to a dark beige to pay homage to the Urban Atlas<\/em> map styles.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":634652,"id":634652,"title":"VectorTileStyleEditor","filename":"VectorTileStyleEditor.png","filesize":190055,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/vectortilestyleeditor","alt":"Vector Style Tile Editor","author":"6751","description":"","caption":"","name":"vectortilestyleeditor","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2019-10-11 05:12:22","modified":"2019-10-11 05:12:51","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":969,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":234,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":388,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor.png","large-width":1920,"large-height":969,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":775,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":969,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor-826x417.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":417,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/VectorTileStyleEditor-1920x969.png","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":969}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    How it Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    The ArcGIS API for JavaScript provides the power to create custom vector symbology that can be sized based on the data using simple arcade expressions.<\/p>\n

    This visualization is achieved through CIMSymbol<\/a>. \u00a0CIM (Cartographic Information Model) symbols are used to display multi-layer vector symbols for features and graphics.<\/p>\n

    The CIMSymbol has two symbol layers. One represents the outer circle (total area) and the other represents the inner circle (percent of forested area). The outer circle varies its size by view scale. The inner circle varies its size by view scale multiplied by the percentage of forested land.<\/p>\n

    Fortunately, you don\u2019t have to create the CIMSymbol from scratch. You can generate it using the size renderer creator in the smart mapping size module. Simply provide the layer you want to style, the field to visualize, and set the theme to \u201creference-size\u201d.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2453012,"id":2453012,"title":"Reference Size Code Snippet","filename":"ReferenceSizeCode.png","filesize":31826,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/js-api-arcgis\/mapping\/reference-size-maps-bringing-back-the-60s\/referencesizecode","alt":"Reference Size map code","author":"6751","description":"const { renderer } = await sizeRendererCreator.createContinuousRenderer({\n\nlayer,\n\nview,\n\nfield: \"NLCDfrstPt\",\n\ntheme: \"reference-size\",\n\n});","caption":"","name":"referencesizecode","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":634052,"date":"2024-08-06 20:28:26","modified":"2024-08-06 20:45:03","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":639,"height":170,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode-213x170.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":170,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":123,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","medium_large-width":639,"medium_large-height":170,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","large-width":639,"large-height":170,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","1536x1536-width":639,"1536x1536-height":170,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","2048x2048-width":639,"2048x2048-height":170,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","card_image-width":639,"card_image-height":170,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/ReferenceSizeCode.png","wide_image-width":639,"wide_image-height":170}},"image_position":"left-center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/developers.arcgis.com\/javascript\/latest\/sample-code\/sandbox\/?sample=visualization-sm-reference-size"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    Try it Yourself!<\/strong><\/h2>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    Check out the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript Sandbox for Reference Size<\/a>. Here you can add your point layer URL, choose an attributes for the inner circle\u2019s size and color, edit the popup, and update the legend.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"storymap","title":"","description":"","static":false,"storymap_url":"https:\/\/developers.arcgis.com\/javascript\/latest\/sample-code\/sandbox\/?sample=visualization-sm-reference-size<\/a>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    The Reference Size map of forest cover and population<\/a> is powered by the ArcGIS JavaScript Maps SDK, driven by data created from the Living Atlas of the World and ArcGIS Online analysis tools, and supported with a basemap designed with the Vector Tile Style Editor. Explore these tools and resources to create your own Reference Size map using the JS SDK and ArcGIS Online tools.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","content":"

    This post includes contributions from Fang Li, Jim Herries, Kristian Ekenes, and Jeremy Bartley.<\/p>\n"}],"authors":[{"ID":6751,"user_firstname":"Jennifer","user_lastname":"Bell","nickname":"Jennifer Bell","user_nicename":"jenniferbell","display_name":"Jennifer Bell","user_email":"JBell@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2018-03-02 00:18:47","user_description":"Jennifer Bell\u2019s dedication to helping people visualize data and tell impactful stories led her to product management at Esri. She is passionate about enhancing user experiences and advocating for mapmakers, app builders, story creators, and their audiences. Jennifer welcomes ideas and feedback as she and her team shape the future of Map Viewer, ArcGIS Instant Apps, and ArcGIS StoryMaps.","user_avatar":""}],"related_articles":[{"ID":540302,"post_author":"9622","post_date":"2019-06-26 09:07:25","post_date_gmt":"2019-06-26 16:07:25","post_content":"","post_title":"Edit Vector Tiles in Style from Map Viewer","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"edit-vector-tiles-in-style-from-map-viewer","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2019-07-17 12:30:32","post_modified_gmt":"2019-07-17 19:30:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=540302","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":489022,"post_author":"6941","post_date":"2019-04-11 13:30:44","post_date_gmt":"2019-04-11 20:30:44","post_content":"","post_title":"Take a tour of Configurable Apps built with the ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.x","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"take-a-tour-of-configurable-apps-built-with-the-arcgis-api-for-javascript-4-x","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-07-14 10:07:27","post_modified_gmt":"2020-07-14 17:07:27","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=489022","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":392722,"post_author":"8492","post_date":"2019-02-13 04:50:50","post_date_gmt":"2019-02-13 12:50:50","post_content":"","post_title":"Earthquake Mapping Part II: The Cartography of Time, Magnitude, and Alert Levels","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"the-cartography-of-time-magnitude-and-alert-levels","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-06-25 10:57:50","post_modified_gmt":"2020-06-25 17:57:50","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=392722","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":76101,"post_author":"6461","post_date":"2017-03-15 13:44:15","post_date_gmt":"2017-03-15 13:44:15","post_content":"","post_title":"How to Make Smart Color Choices in Your Maps","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"how-to-make-smart-color-choices-in-your-maps","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-05-20 14:29:21","post_modified_gmt":"2020-05-20 21:29:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/product\/uncategorized\/how-to-make-smart-color-choices-in-your-maps\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":492182,"post_author":"7121","post_date":"2019-04-22 08:00:19","post_date_gmt":"2019-04-22 15:00:19","post_content":"","post_title":"Smart Choices for Basemaps and Color Ramps When Mapping Demographic Data","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"smart-choices-for-basemaps-and-color-ramps-when-mapping-demographic-data","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-01-03 09:39:24","post_modified_gmt":"2020-01-03 17:39:24","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=492182","menu_order":0,"post_type":"blog","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Card_Wurman.png","wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Banner_Wurman.png"},"yoast_head":"\nReference Size Maps: Learning from the '60s with a new mapping theme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Reference Size maps are now available in Map Viewer. 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