geocarto

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FGDC Cartographic Standard for Geologic Maps

... has always been available in text formats

... and is now available in CartoCSS

This is useful if you want to make geologic maps in TileMill, which is useful if you think geologic maps should be pretty and online. I tried to be as true to the spec as possible, but its hard to be precise about dimensions in terms like "mm" when you're dealing with a variable-zoom map.

The svg folder contains .svg files that provide line-decoration markers and structural symbols. Notice that the files are named according to their respective FGDC symbol identifier.

To use the symbols in QGIS:

@Taconic_Musings has put together a tutorial on using custom svg symbols in QGIS with a specific focus on implementing oriented and labeled strike/dip symbols that can be seen here.

To Use this in TileMill:

1. Install Node.js

2. Download TileMill

3. Get some geologic map data into a format that TileMill can read. This includes ESRI Shapefiles, KML, GeoJSON, GeoTIFF, PostGIS, CSV, and SQLite.

   • The one requirement presently is that your map data needs to have a "fgdc_key" column. This column should contain the FGDC symbol identifiers such as "1.1.1" for an accurate contact (solid black line). Aside from that, it doesn't matter how your data is structured.

4. Clone this repository into the right place. Generally TileMill makes a "MapBox" directory in your "Documents" folder (on OSX and Windows, at least). Inside that directory is a "project" one. This is where your various TileMill projects live. Clone this repository into that project directory. For example, on OSX:

    cd /Users/ryan/Documents/MapBox/project
    git clone https://github.com/rclark/geocarto.git
   

5. Setup a Project by running node build-project.js

6. Open TileMill and there should be a "FGDC Symbols" project.

7. Add your data to the project. It is important that you give your layers appropriate class names.

   • Give your lines the class name geolines
   • Give your points the class name structurepoints
   • Give your polygons the class name geopolys
   • Give your surficial points the class name surficialpoints

Note: the given polygon color will likely not be valid for your map. Take a look in the polys folder for ways you might be able to quickly generate your polygon symbology.

OR!

If you want to be simple about it, just make a TileMill project and copy some of my code into your own .mss files. Make sure to grab any .svg files for the FGDC symbol rules that you're using.

If you want to Help

... and you should! I won't be able to completely finish this myself, and you'll inevitably find that there are symbols you want from the FGDC standard that haven't been written out here yet. Follow the fork my repository instructions provided by GitHub, make some changes, and then make a pull request. Also, read these things:

• About CartoCSS in general
• CartoCSS Reference
• FGDC Standard
• My Style-Guide (coming soon...)

If you're working with the FGDC symbol standard in some other system, keep in mind that the most time-consuming part of this project is getting the .svg files for point symbols and line decorations. If your workflow includes a step where you might be able to export .svg files, do it, and ship them over to me! I'll be really grateful.

Progress Report:

This is what I've done so far...

Section 1: Contacts, Key Beds, and Dikes

Section 2: Faults

Section 3: Boundaries Located by Geophysical Surveys

nothing yet

Section 4: Lineaments and Joints

Section 5: Folds

nothing yet

Section 6: Bedding

Section 7: Cleavage

Section 8: Foliation

Section 9: Lineation

Section 12: Fluvial and Alluvial Features

Section 13: Glacial and Glaciofluvial Features

So far so good...