Web Mapping Portfolio

Garrett Hestand

A showcase of interactive geospatial projects built in GEOG 414 at UCLA — from Leaflet thematic maps to D3-powered inequality visualizations.

34.0689° N  |  118.4452° W  ·  Los Angeles, CA

About

Web Mapping Skills

Through GEOG 414, I have built a full-stack skill set in web-based geospatial technologies — writing front-end JavaScript, HTML, and CSS from scratch through to configuring and deploying the Linux web servers that host these applications.

I am comfortable creating thematic and interactive maps with Leaflet.js, constructing data-driven SVG visualizations with D3.js, integrating hosted vector tile and WMS/WMTS image tile services, and applying cartographic design principles to communicate spatial patterns effectively.

Technologies

Toolkit

Geospatial & Mapping Leaflet.js GeoJSON Tile Services (WMS / WMTS) Thematic Cartography Spatial Data Analysis Development JavaScript (ES6+) HTML / CSS D3.js Bootstrap 5 Linux Web Server Admin

Portfolio

Unit Assignments

Five projects completed across GEOG 414, each building toward a complete web GIS skill set.

Unit 1

Introduction to JavaScript and Web Programming

Foundations of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the web. Covers DOM manipulation, event handling, and the core programming concepts that underpin all subsequent mapping projects.

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Unit 2

Thematic Mapping with Leaflet

Building choropleth and proportional-symbol maps using Leaflet.js. Includes loading GeoJSON layers, custom class-break symbology, dynamic legends, and attribute-driven popups.

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Unit 3

Interactive Mapping with Hosted Vector and Image Tile Services

Integrating Mapbox vector tile basemaps and WMS/WMTS image tile services into interactive Leaflet maps with layer-switching controls and dynamic overlays.

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Unit 4

Mapping Inequality with D3

Data-driven cartographic visualization using D3.js. Leverages SVG rendering, sequential color scales, and geographic projections to map socioeconomic inequality from real-world datasets.

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Unit 5

Global Seismicity: Recent Earthquakes

A live Leaflet map of M2.5+ earthquakes from the past 30 days, sourced from the USGS GeoJSON feed. Proportional circles scaled by magnitude, color-coded by focal depth, with hover tooltips and click popups linking to full USGS event records.

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More projects on the way