R I D G E L I N E G E O G R A P H I C
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RIDGELINE GEOGRAPHIC COMMISSIONS
COST
Ridgeline Geographic produces custom maps to your exact specifications at rates starting at $30 an hour. Corporate rates for major projects may range from $50 to $100 an hour depending on project complexity.
LOCATION
Ridgeline Geographic produces professional, precise, and stunning maps of any location in the world. The map frame may capture the entire world, a continent, a body of water (large or small, with sea or lakefloor features included), a nation, an administrative subdivision (such as a state or province), a secondary administrative subdivision (such as a county or district), a city or metropolitan area, a neighborhood, or an individual property and its periphery.
THEME
Any map theme is possible. Color palette options are unlimited and customizable. Historical map commissions are also offered.
COMPLEXITY AND SCALE
Map complexity will affect the number of hours spent gathering and evaluating geographic data and labeling key map elements. Major metropolitan areas, hydrologically or topographically complex areas, or areas densely populated with human or physical geographic features will generally be more time-consuming to map. Hand-digitization of certain map elements will also increase total project hours. Hours estimates will take these variables into consideration.
SIZE AND FORMAT
Commissioned maps that require 8 hours or more to complete are printed and shipped to customers in the contiguous (Lower 48) United States free of charge as long as the size of the final map layout is 36x50 (or 50x36) or less. A shipping charge will apply for Alaska and Hawaii customers, but Ridgeline Geographic will work to pinpoint the most cost-effective shipping method.
Ridgeline Geographic is capable of producing maps at larger sizes, but larger map layouts will be provided to customers electronically in PDF/TIF format. Larger map layouts (36x36, 36x48, etc.) are generally more time-consuming to produce, especially if dense labeling detail is desired by the customer.
BILLING, PAYMENT, AND SHIPPING COSTS
Map printing and shipping charges are built into the commission cost for customers in the contiguous (Lower 48) United States. For customers in Alaska, Hawaii, or U.S. territories, Ridgeline Geographic will shop for the best shipping deal and contact you directly after the shipping surcharge is calculated.
GALLERY
The first handful of commissions completed by Ridgeline Geographic vary greatly in size, scale, and subject. The few completed projects do not even scratch the surface with respect to the company's cartographic and analytic capabilities. No location, theme, or level of complexity is off limits.
Ridgeline possesses a large trove of both domestic (U.S.) and international open-source and originally-developed vector (point, line, and polygon) data and raster (pixelated) imagery, meaning that "laying the groundwork" or "creating the canvas" for each map is relatively quick, as these map/data elements have already been prepared and processed across most of the earth's surface for earlier projects.
The more time-consuming elements of commission work are comprised of cleanup of imperfections in spatial data (especially when working at smaller or more localized scales), creation of customized datasets for a target area, and precision labeling. When mapping at smaller scales, it may be necessary to download or manually create a significant amount of additional data and imagery.
Labeling (map annotation) is, in the author's opinion, the most important map element. Just one labeling mistake or imperfection can be an irritation for the new map owner for years to come, and may require a reprint depending on severity. Ridgeline takes a holistic approach to mapmaking, ensuring that annotation complements and balances well with vector and raster map elements, so that no one feature or label class overpowers the map or becomes visually underrepresented.
Windham & The Maine Lakes District 18x24 (September 2026)
Spanning a region of Maine rich in history, culture, and natural beauty, "Windham & The Maine Lakes Region" provides the ultimate overview of area terrain, cultural landmarks, parklands, and transportation infrastructure.
Dominating the upper-left quadrant of the map, the bottom of the deepest lake entirely in New England, Sebago, is revealed with a bathymetric color gradient and select key spot depths.
Townships, ubiquitous political features of many northern states, are also highlighted along with the official boundaries of incorporated cities, towns, and non-incorporated census-designated places.
Blue Ridge Highlands 18x24 (September 2026)
With significant portions of the map between Virginia and North Carolina, this map of the Blue Ridge Highlands is centered on the rolling plateau between the Blue Ridge, a relatively narrow ridge rising sharply from the Piedmont, and the Ridge and Valley formations of the south-central Appalachians.
The highest elevations in Virginia are featured along the left-most edge of the map frame, between Mount Rogers and Grayson Highlands State Park. Many of western Virginia and North Carolina's small towns are featured, along with cultural and recreational landmarks.
Florida Highway System 24x24 (September 2026)
The interstates, toll highways, U.S. highways, and state highways of the Sunshine State took center-stage with this handy office reference commission, along with cities, small towns, and few key villages and hamlets.
Constructed in a classic "road atlas-deluxe" style, major federal conservation lands, military lands, and tribal lands are also empasized on this simple yet useful 9-hour commission.
Azerbaijan: Terrain & Seafloor 24x24 (September 2026)
Azerbaijan, one of three Caucasus nations (along with Armenia and Georgia) at the interface between Asia and Europe, is a former Soviet republic on the Caspian Sea. The country was mapped out in Ridgeline Geographic's hallmark "Terrain & Seafloor" style in roughly 9 hours. Emphasizing these physical elements allowed for accentuation of the dramatic elevation difference between the country's central lowland formed by the Kura River lowlands and the towering Greater and Lesser Caucasus and Talysh Mountain ranges to the north and south.
To complete this map, obtaining additional open-source geographic data was necessary to include the boundaries of Azerbaijan's 64 districts and 11 federal cities (quite a few administrative subdivisions for a country that is only a couple hundred miles in breadth). It was also necessary to build additional simple point datasets to plot mountain peaks, district capitals, and Caspian Sea spot depth measurements (as the southwestern corner of the Caspian Sea is the deepest and most bathymetrically complex section).
Florida Black Bear Hunt Zone Analysis (August 2026)
Ridgeline Geographic was hired in August 2026 to identify the universe of potentially eligible private lands within the four Florida black bear "Hunt Zones" established by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission. To be potentially eligible to host bear hunting, private lands must exceed 5,000 contiguous acres and include "suitable bear habitat" coverage of at least 50% (among other requirements).
To identify these properties, statewide cadastral (real estate boundary) data was clipped to the boundaries of the four hunt zones, and parcels under 100 acres were immediately discarded from the dataset. As most rural land parcels in Florida are divided into 640 acre (one square mile) plots, it was necessary to examine the dataset for landowners with multiple contiguous large parcels, aggregate the total acreage for the entire property, and isolate each property owner's lands on a relatively simple regional map with total acreage calculations displayed.
Hawaii: Terrain & Seafloor 16x20 (April 2026)
Ridgeline Geographic was hired in April 2026 to create a small (16x20 inch) poster of Hawaii in the "Terrain & Seafloor" style. To accomplish this, elevation imagery on the eight main islands was clipped to their coastlines, while GEBCO's seafloor imagery was utilized for the surrounding open waters of the Central Pacific. The Outer Hawaiian Islands stretch for an additional 1,400 miles to the west, so an inset was necessary to include them in a 16x20 frame. Datasets for small towns and mountain peaks were created using Google Maps and later imported into ArcGIS. Boundaries for national park units, national wildlife refuges, and state parks required research to ensure thorough representation and labeling, while raw open-source shapefiles were downloaded from open/public state and federal government sources.
