index.qmd

::: {.content-visible when-format="html"}
# Welcome {.unnumbered}

> *A practical guide to creating clear, effective maps in R with the **tmap** package.*

Welcome to the online home of **Spatial Data Visualization with tmap: A Practical Guide to Thematic Mapping in R**. 
This book is a hands-on, open-source resource for anyone interested in creating maps using R and the [**tmap**](https://github.com/r-tmap/tmap) package.

Whether you're a beginner in geospatial analysis or an experienced GIS user transitioning to R, this book will help you learn how to visualize spatial data for print, the web, and interactive applications.

## What you’ll learn {-}

This book walks you through the full process of thematic mapping with **tmap**, including:

- Load, explore, and prepare spatial data in R
- Build maps using **tmap**’s core components like shapes, layers, and visual variables
- Customize map appearance with legends, scales, layouts, and annotations
- Create faceted, animated, and interactive maps for various audiences
- Integrate **tmap** maps into reports, web apps, and Shiny dashboards
- Extend **tmap** by adding new map layer types, spatial data classes, and output modes
- Apply good design practices to make maps that are clear, consistent, and effective

Each chapter combines concise explanations, reproducible code, and real-world examples.

## How to contribute {-}

We welcome your contributions to make this book better!

You can help by:

- Suggesting topics or reporting issues via the [issue tracker](https://github.com/geocompx/tmap/issues)
- Fixing typos or improving clarity
- Enhancing code examples or adding new ones

<!--
**To contribute:**

1. Visit the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/geocompx/tmap)
2. Fork the project and create a branch
3. Make your changes
4. Open a pull request with a short description of your contribution
-->

All contributions are appreciated and acknowledged.

## Citation {-}

If you use this book in your work, please cite it as:

> Tennekes M., Nowosad J. (2025) *Spatial Data Visualization with tmap: A Practical Guide to Thematic Mapping in R*. Available at: <https://tmap.geocompx.org>

## License {-}

This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License][cc-by-nc-nd].

![][cc-by-nc-nd-image]

The code samples in this book are licensed under a [Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication][cc0].  

![][cc0-image]

[cc-by-nc-nd]: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
[cc-by-nc-nd-image]: https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/4.0/88x31.png
[cc0]: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/  
[cc0-image]: https://i.creativecommons.org/l/zero/1.0/88x31.png  

```{r}
#| echo: false
#| results: asis
is_on_ghactions = identical(Sys.getenv("GITHUB_ACTIONS"), "true")
is_online = curl::has_internet()
is_html = knitr::is_html_output()
if (is_on_ghactions) {
    cat(paste0("This version of the book was built on GH Actions on ", Sys.Date(), "."))
} else {
    cat(paste0("This version of the book was built on ", Sys.Date(), "."))
}
```

:::