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This tutorial was expanded and adapted from Kerski, J.J.. (2009). Exploring Data Using Cartograms within ArcGIS Desktop.  Redlands, CA: ESRI.  Retrieved October 5, 2009, from ESRI GIS Education Community: http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/gisedcom/archive/2009/10/16/exploring-data-using-cartograms-within-arcgis-desktop.aspx.

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If you are working on a laptop or a computer in your office, you will need to download and install the ArcScript cartogram tool created by Tom Gross in the ESRI Applications Prototype Lab before beginning this tutorial.  Download the files at

http://arcscripts.esri.com/details.asp?dbid=15638

and follow the installation instructions in the ReadMe file.  Once you’ve installed the software, restart your computer.

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The Cartogram → Create a cartogram (Gastner-Newman method) tool will appear. 

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Use the Cartograms Tool

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1. Open the Cartograms Tool and double click on Create a cartogram.  The Create a cartogram dialog box will appear.
2. Fill in the values for these fields:
   1. Original Polygon Features – Choose 2007 Population by County
   2. Value Field of the Original Features – Choose POP07_SQMI
   3. Allow the default Output Cartograms Features
   4. Uncheck the box next to Sum the Values for each repeated ID
   5. Scroll down and make sure that the box is checked next to Copy the Original Polygon Features table to the Output Cartogram Features table.

Your dialog box should look like this:


autoplay dialog box

1. Click OK.

A Cartogram will be created in the new layer. Cartograms distort map shapes to emphasize specified values from underlying map data. In this case, shape of the U.S. map will be distorted to reflect the population density of each area, since you chose to use the POP07_SQMI value from the attributes of the 2007 Population by Counties Map Layer as your Value Field for analysis. Areas with greater population densities will be larger than those with smaller population densities. This new layer will not be Symbolized – meaning that the color scheme indicating population density has not been transferred from the 2007 Population by County Map Layer1.      Open ArcToolbox by clicking on the ArcToolbox button  . 2.      Right click on the white space inside the ArcToolbox menu.  Choose New Toolbox.  A new, unnamed toolbox will appear in the Toolbox menu.  Name it Cartograms. 3.      Right click on the title of the new Cartogram toolbox.  Choose Add → Tool. 4.      Check the box next to the Cartograms option.  Click OK. The Cartogram → Create a cartogram (Gastner-Newman method) tool will appear.