The Geographic Information Technology Training Alliance (GITTA) has an online lesson plan that provides some helpful information about creating thematic maps. The lesson provides an introduction to basic statistical techniques, understanding measurement, and provides an understanding of how and when to standardize and classify GIS data.
The lesson is broken up into sections starting with basic statistic rules which includes a review of the types of data measurements: nominal, ordinal, and numeric (ratio and interval data). Also reviewed is an explanation about the importance of data classification and preparation. The standardization and classification section also includes a short quiz so students can evaluate their understanding of the presented information. The last section of the lesson plan is an exercise in creating a thematic map of Europe’s populations densities.
Visit: Statistics for Thematic Cartography
