Planning
No matter the size of your project, understanding your purpose, audience, data, and medium will save you time and make your map better.
Before you make any map, ask yourself these crucial questions:
- What is the purpose of the map?
- Who will read it?
- What is the story in the data?
- Where and how will you share the map?
Continue to ask these questions throughout the process.
![](https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/human.png)
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How to choose your map's medium
Will your map be shared on social media? A printed brochure? Consider the strengths and weaknesses of your medium before you begin.
![](https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Mantra_card.jpg)
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The mapmaker's mantra
Maps have consequences and mapmakers have responsibilities.
![](https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Card.png)
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Explore before you map
Maps help to explain data and phenomena, but only if the mapmaker takes the time to understand what they are mapping.
Ask the following questions of your map to determine its objective:
- Who is the primary audience for your map?
- What do you want them to think or notice when they look at your map?
- Which attributes of your data are the most important to convey?
- What medium will you use to present your map?
- Where and how is the map most likely to be viewed?
- Will your map be used to inform decisions? If so, what information will decision makers need?
- What does your audience already know about your topic and what will you need to explain to them?
- What emotional tone do you want to set with your map?
- Do you need to find more data to support this map?
- Do you fully understand the topic and attributes that you are mapping? Do you need to do more research?
Explore your own data through tables, maps, and charts.
- List three potential map messages that could be communicated with this data. Choose one for your final map.
- Who is the target audience for your map? How are they most likely to view your map?
If you don’t have your own data, use one of the suggestions below. You may choose to map the entire dataset or only a subset or smaller area.