30 Maps of Estonia in 30 Days

About a month ago, Evelyn Uuemaa, a geographer and Senior Researcher in Geoinformatics at the University of Tartu, accepted the challenge to make 30 maps in a row – one each day. She was posting the maps on Twitter as a part of the #30DayMapChallenge. Evelyn used open data and open-source software to make the maps. Please scroll to see them all. Clicking on a map opens a larger view.

Map-making is the part of my job that I enjoy the most 😀Unfortunately lately most of my work time goes on other assignments. However, #30DayMapChallenge was a great opportunity to do what I love and try out new tools/methods that I can hopefully also pass to my students.
— Evelyn (@evelynuuemaa) December 9, 2019

It was challenging in terms of time. I made most of the maps at the expense of my sleeping hours but I had lots of fun in doing these maps, so it was not tiring 😀 Sometimes it was also complicated to find suitable data but Estonia is already pretty good in terms of #opendata 😊
— Evelyn (@evelynuuemaa) December 6, 2019

Definitely finding the data. Sometimes also pre-processing the data.
— Evelyn (@evelynuuemaa) December 6, 2019

I set myself a goal to use only #opensource software as I have been considering switching my teaching to open-source based but haven’t had time to test the possibilities. So I learned that everything is doable in open source #QGIS and even better than commercial software 😊
— Evelyn (@evelynuuemaa) December 6, 2019

So, here come the maps in the order that Evelyn Uuemaa posted them on Twitter.

1. One year of traffic accidents (2016) in Estonia

The map contains approximately 32,000 data points. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

2. Lines: All streams in Estonia

3. Polygons: Distribution of bedrock outcrops in Estonia

Bedrock outcrops are coloured based on age of strata in Estonia. In Estonia, there is a quite clear spatial trend – the more south, the younger sedimentary rocks are exposed. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

4. Hexagons: Endangered species (protection category III) in Estonia

5. Forest loss in Estonia from 2001–2018

Forest loss is estimated by remote sensing data (Hansen et al. 2013; Science). Raster data format was used for this map as an input. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

6. Blue: What if we flood Estonia up to 100m

7. Red: All roads in Estonia

8. Green: Cultural heritage objects in Estonia

9. Yellow: Arable land in Estonia

10. Black and white: Drainage (white) in Estonia

11. Elevation: Papercut elevation map of Estonia

12. Monday morning flights to and from Tallinn airport

13. Tracks: Disc golf tracks in Estonia

The tracks are sized based on the number of baskets on a track. Image credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

14. Administrative borders based on the land use they cross

Most of Estonia’s administrative borders run along water or forest. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

15. Places that contain “blue”, “black”, or “white” in their names

Places that contain “sini-must-valge” (in Estonian) in their names. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

16. Bus stops based on number of public transport trips per day in Estonia

GTFS data was used for this map. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

17. How far you can travel by car in 2 hours from Tallinn city center

18. Bonne projection centered to Tartu, Estonia

19. Buildings in the 5 Estonian biggest cities by population

20. Rural: Soil organic carbon

Soil organic carbon is one of the very important ecosystem services in terms of agriculture. The map is modeled in collaboration with the UT Landscape Geoinformatics workgroup, the UT Macroecology workgroup, and Ivika Ostonen. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

21. Wetlands in Estonia

Estonia has been blessed with 40,000 wetlands ranging from 0.002 ha to 9,000 ha in size. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

22. Tall buildings and structures in Estonia

Vertical scale is exaggerated by 50 on this map. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

23. Estonian population per square km during the day and night

According to Statistics Estonia’s estimation, approximately 109,000 people commute to the cities over the day. The total population of Estonia is only 1.3 million people. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

24. Service areas for public libraries and population living in the service areas

The smallest service area by population has only 116 people and almost 90% of Estonian population lives within 11km of a public library. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

25. Climate: Long-term average data and “nightmare” scenario for 2070

Long-term average (1960–1990) monthly maximum temperature and precipitation for July are compared with the IPCC “nightmare” scenario (RPC 8.5) for 2070. It will become hotter and drier. Data: WorldClim. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

26. The depth of the Baltic Sea along the Estonian coast, along with the elevation map of Estonia

27. Water mills in Estonia

Estonia is full of small water mills are mostly no longer working. There are some exceptions, like Hellenurme Water Mill, which is still making flour with water power. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

28. Funny: Icy Estonian counties at the end of November

A cartographic representation of the icy end of November 2019 in Estonia. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

29. Lego-style elevation map of Estonia

30. Buildings of Tartu, Estonia

Buildings of Tartu by their footprint elevation above sea level. Map credit: Evelyn Uuemaa

Very important! Some maps can be even created only for art purposes. However, the main purpose of the maps is to visualize some kind of spatial data and a cartographer has to make sure that the map is properly communicating the message that is intended.
— Evelyn (@evelynuuemaa) December 9, 2019

Map’s overall aesthetic can help to convey the message. Maps are an important communication tool and especially nowadays when we tend to have data overload. It is quite challenging and time-consuming to create a meaningful and beautiful map.
— Evelyn (@evelynuuemaa) December 9, 2019

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30 Maps of Estonia in 30 Days