Visualising small area data with hybrid cartograms and hexograms

Hexograms, first proposed by Harris (2018), mix hexagonal grids with cartograms, redressing problems of ‘invisibility’ in conventional maps, and geographic distortion in cartograms. The idea is simple: enlarge areas needing to be observed, but not so much that place geographies become unrecognisable. This paper develops the approach, combining a Dorling-style cartogram (Dorling, 1996) of local authorities with a standard map to create a hybrid cartogram; then using hexagonal grids and spatial optimisation to map neighbourhood-level variations. The resulting hexogram provides a representation of ethnic diversity in England and Wales that improves legibility but limits geographic distortion of and within the authorities.