I chose to incorporate only the capitalized text in this layer for two reasons: (1) It seems to me that choice of the font/size of the textual references bears some implications about how important certain features were to the map-makers (the more prominent the text; the more important the text to the meaning of the map). (2) a practical reason: the small-printed (cursive) textual references in the map are manifold and printed in such a high density that I could not possibly trace them all. Almost all the capitalized text on this map seems to refer to toponyms (place or region names, rivers, oceans) or to the names of native American tribes (e.g. Matouwacs, Nahicans, etc.)
I think a remarkable characteristic of this map is the fact that it contains certain elements that are portrayed in perspective (i.e. not 'flat', like the rest of the map). There seems to be a 'sample' of an Indian village on the far left side of the map. The panorama of New Amsterdam ('Nieuw Amsterdam') in the lower right corner of the map is also quite eye-catching. I think the inclusion of these 'views' says a lot about the type of information that the map-makers wanted to communicate (practical, daily-life information for (supposedly) people that were making their first appearance in a new world).
This layer contains elements of landscape integral to the landscape of London. This layer acts as a scaffold upon which the urban fabric of the city molds itself.
Layer 2 - Urban Infrastructure and Streets
This layer describes the various major thoroughfares and bridges upon the map. Several bridges were hand drawn upon the map at a later date of publication, thus seemingly to float within space, unconnected to the streets.
Layer 3 - Green Spaces - Squares, Parks, and Urban Revitalization Projects
This layer contains parks, gardens and squares. The original map colors these spaces green. Several large scale parks such as Regent's Park and Hyde Park appear on the map. This map claims itself to be a partially drawn from intended future plans for London and is drawn in 1814; the plan for Regent's Park is unclear as to whether the map follows the plan proposed by John Nash in its original intent in 1811, or if it is drawn as it existed in 1814.
This layer possesses the buildings of London and the surrounding towns in 1814. Each item appears as a polygon.
Projection and latitude and longitude lines
This layer shows the lines that the mapmaker used to design the projection. This is an important backbone to the map as it shows how Vespucci planned the unusual polar projection and the lines would have provided him with guidelines for where different features are. The latitude and longitude lines also allow the viewer to orient themselves in regards to which part of the globe they are seeing. These lines are very obvious and visually striking, especially in the large spaces around the globe.
In his map, Vespucci does not distinguish between countries or within land masses by lines. Instead, the lines on the map show the enge of land and how it borders with water, primarily oceans and seas. I have also included rivers in this layer because they are often shown as blending into the sea and cut into the land. The coastlines and riverbanks are the key feature of the map instead of more detail (cities etc) within the land. This is an important layer when the physical geographic information of the map is shown.
This layer traces all of the rivers included on the map. I have tried to recreate the variations in line thickness used on the map to indicate relative size of the rivers. Not included in the layer are the names given to the rivers or the explicit direction of the current, though it most cases that is made clear by the line weight and the fact that you can see the beginning of the river.
Text is an immediately striking part of the map. It forms the border of the map, and crowds in the globe, particularly filling the northern hemisphere. The text performs a variety of roles, from describing what the map shows and its maker (in the title), to naming geographic features (e.g. Nile, Italy), to describing properties of an area (e.g. 'A rich land'), but it is all written in the same style and appears as one set of information.