Report Creation - CREATING FINAL PRODUCTS FOR CUSTOMERS
Introduction
The creation of a report is a critical part of the mapping process. The report must convey the information of the study to the requester, which can be either internal or external. The creation of the report is usually started after the analysis and map creation has begun, but usually before all components of the mapping process have been completed. These processes should complement one another, as the designing of the report will help in focusing the final results. There are numerous types of reports that may be created but generally they will be written documents, presentation slides. For most projects both types of reports are created. In addition to these output formats there could be large map layouts such as posters created or maps for the general consumer. In the production of final documents, information might be created for a website. There are some types of maps which will require the work of a graphic artist and thus the maps might need to be imported into a graphic design program.
In this technical skills lesson three different report formats will be demonstrated. It is assumed that the learner has completed the lesson on map publishing. It is also assumed that the learner has used word processing and presentation software. While there are open source and free software that can accomplish the processes discussed, such as Google Docs, this lesson will use products produced by the Microsoft Corporation and generally included in the Office package. The author of this lesson will use the desktop installed versions for the screen captures, but Office 365 can be used as well.
Presentation software, such as Power Point , is used to create slide shows for oral presentations. A word processing program, such as Word, is used for the creation of a written report. The report explains the processes and results of the analysis. A publishing program, such as Publisher, is used to create final reports in conjunction with a word processor as well as creating display items. A spreadsheet program, such as Excel, is generally used for analysis work outside of the mapping software and is used for mathematical and logical determinations. A spreadsheet table may be embedded within the report and not as a standalone product.
This lesson will explore three types of report creations:
Web creation is not included in this technical skill lesson and is beyond the scope of this course. It will be assumed that the output format from the mapping software will create acceptable images and not require graphic design software such as Adobe Illustrator.
In this technical skills lesson three different report formats will be demonstrated. It is assumed that the learner has completed the lesson on map publishing. It is also assumed that the learner has used word processing and presentation software. While there are open source and free software that can accomplish the processes discussed, such as Google Docs, this lesson will use products produced by the Microsoft Corporation and generally included in the Office package. The author of this lesson will use the desktop installed versions for the screen captures, but Office 365 can be used as well.
Presentation software, such as Power Point , is used to create slide shows for oral presentations. A word processing program, such as Word, is used for the creation of a written report. The report explains the processes and results of the analysis. A publishing program, such as Publisher, is used to create final reports in conjunction with a word processor as well as creating display items. A spreadsheet program, such as Excel, is generally used for analysis work outside of the mapping software and is used for mathematical and logical determinations. A spreadsheet table may be embedded within the report and not as a standalone product.
This lesson will explore three types of report creations:
- A word processing document which will contain, images, tables, and graphs.
- Presentation slides for an oral presentation, containing images, tables and graphs.
- Poster presentations which will be a large format poster that explains the concept of the project containing, images, tables and graphs.
Web creation is not included in this technical skill lesson and is beyond the scope of this course. It will be assumed that the output format from the mapping software will create acceptable images and not require graphic design software such as Adobe Illustrator.