Lab 10

Lab 9: Dot Density

Final Project Proposal-Virginia Wineries/Vineyards

For this project, I would like to create a map that showcases the major wineries in the State of Virginia as wine tourism contributes positive economic impact to Virginia. I would like to either make a map that shows the top Virginia wineries by volume or sales, or just just the top 30 using a proportional symbol map. The wine industry in the Mid-Atlantic Region provides an enormous amount of data about existing and new wineries, their sales and production levels, and the markets they cater too, so finding adequate data shouldn't be an issue when creating the map. Organizing the data using a single variable such as volume or number of cases shipped per month should make it easy to plot on a state map by county. The reason I want to do this type of map is because I work for the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and we receive a significant portion of Virginia wine as our weekly delivery, so I thought it would be interesting to map out where it comes from in the state before it reaches the ABC warehouse. The audience for this map would be VA ABC customers and those who order wine in bulk on a regular basis or who are involved in the statewide distribution of wine from the Commonwealth.
Data: 
Virginia ABC, the Dept. of Agriculture, and the Virginia Wine Board all keep aggregate data on yearly and monthly production and well as shipping, quality, and sales data. VA ABC maintains a list of licensed wineries throughout the state, the Agriculture Department keeps track of the health and quality of existing wineries, and the Virginia Wine Board collects data on total sales and production volume in and out of state.
Base Map: 
The base map I will use will either be a state map with existing county boundaries, or a map with regional boundaries that differentiate the different climates needed per type of wine. Any basic map of the state that is labeled by county and maybe major cities should be sufficient to add on to and clear to understand for an audience. Anything with additional data or labeling may confuse the viewer because of overcrowding and clarity will be lost. I expect to have no more than 20-30 symbols placed on the map depending on how I organize the data.