Erie Canal multi-panel map series – project file structure

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When I set up the Bicycling the Erie Canal Guide in QGIS, I thought I’d do the whole map in QGIS.  I thought I could export the panels as an atlas. But it didn’t make sense.

Here’s why I chose to go the  MAPublisher/Illustrator route. 

  1. Work on a single screen in Illustrator rather than having to use both a Map View and Layout View (in GIS)
  2. Maneuver quickly within the Illustrator file
  3. Style more quickly and edit symbols on the fly
  4. Automatic text placement is great
  5. Layers can be organized as I like
  6. All data is contained within the Illustrator file
  7. A single file can be used to place multiple maps into InDesign

So, I used QGIS to crop a bunch of data and do the framing.  Then I exported it all to geojson files and imported them into Adobe Illustrator using MAPublisher.  The two programs complement each other.

This video

The video shows how I organize my current files and keep versions as I go along.