Map of Lifetime Footprint in Memory of My Grandfather

Best Black & White Map in WLIA 2024; Grayscale memorial map

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This is a memorial map for my grandfather who passed away in 2023. He was born in a peasant family in China (1937), and was educated to be a primary school teacher and headmaster for over 40 years. I was raised by him so his death meant a lot to me.

As a well trained map-maker, I decided to make a grayscale map in memory of him with all my love and memories. Not considering traveling trips, his lifetime footprint is basically around my hometown, Zibo. Therefore, I use my award-winning (NACIS 2023) map as the base layer, and illustrate his lifetime footprint on top of it. All fonts are specially chosen to match the memorial theme. As an amateur Seal-Carving (a type of Chinese calligraphy) artist, I carved a stone seal of my family name in memory of my grandfather. It is embedded (top-left) and also redesigned into a north arrow (top-right).

I would thank my uncle who compiled all the tracks of my grandfather. Due to privacy concerns, some Chinese characters are covered with mosaics.

This map won the best Black and White Map in Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA) 2024 Map Contest, and is featured in news by UW-Madison Geography Department.