Influential Visual Design Parameters on TV Weather Maps

Abstract

Information transformation on television weather maps (TVWMs) is influenced by visual elements for a broad range of viewers. This research emphasizes the cartographic aspects of TVWMs through evaluating their visual variables. Currently defined visual variables including basic, dynamic and motion variables are investigated and some suggestions are made to improve their application on TVWMs. The rates of the represented visual information within different frames and the related standard deviation are proposed as measures to improve the performance of the ‘duration’ dynamic variable. The concept of ‘visual expressions’ is introduced, and their applications at the organisational level of map design are discussed. Such expressions (including background, boundary, spatial order, zoom and overview maps) are examined as tools for ‘user orientation’ in particular, and their role as dominant parameters in TVWMs’ cartographic communication is considered. Their incorporation in TVWMs of a number of global news channels is evaluated. Firstly, the concepts of visual design parameters are utilized as a foundation for an analytical evaluation, then an empirical evaluation is carried out based on a statistical investigation of a sample of TV viewers. The resulting ranking order and correlation coefficients for each of the elements shows a firm agreement, corroborating views on the importance and proficiency of the visual elements in communicating weather information. As a result, TVWMs of well-known global TV channels (BBC, Euronews, France24, PressTV) are ranked with respect to the effectiveness of their designs.     

Retrieving Hierarchical Information from Maps: The Role of Metric and Configurational Variables

Abstract

One of the most important challenges for cartographers is to be able to transmit information appearing in maps in a simple manner to users. The commonest strategy to do so consists in displaying visual information in a hierarchical way, that is, making it some elements to appear as being more important than others. Nevertheless, recent research has shown that people also pay attention to configurational information, or information about relationships among elements appearing in a map, to retrieve hierarchical information of it. This is the topic of this paper. It aims to investigate the role of metric and configurational information in enabling people to retrieve hierarchical information from maps. The main problem consisted in identifying ‘the main street’ of different layouts whose paths were sometimes widened to make them appear more important. The main findings show that people retrieved hierarchical information by paying attention to a combination of metric and configurational factors.

One of the main challenges that cartographers face is to transmit information in a way that is simple to understand for everyone. The most frequent strategy for this is to display the information in a hierarchical way; that is, by exaggerating the size or width of specific elements and thus assigning them a greater degree of importance. Nevertheless, recent research has shown that when reading maps, people also read configurational information. This is the topic of this paper. It aims to investigate the role of metric and configurational information in enabling people to retrieve hierarchical information from maps. For this, a set of exercises was designed and carried out where people were asked to identify the main street of different specially designed layouts. The main findings show that people retrieved hierarchical information by paying attention to a combination of metric and configurational factors.     

How to Enhance Cartographic Visualisations of Natural Hazards Assessment Results

Abstract

Cartographic visualisations are important tools for the communication of hazard related data among stakeholders. Although these representations are essential for various hazard management tasks, an analysis of existing hazard visualisations showed that they often disregard cartographic principles. This leads to confusion on the part of users through poor representations and consequently to an impairment of the information flow. The objective of this research is to offer suggestions for enhanced hazard visualisations to facilitate hazard management tasks and decision making. Existing cartographic shortcomings are identified based on an extensive analysis of hazard visualisations and an expert survey. These shortcomings are discussed and improvements for important cartographic elements are presented.     

Investigating the Effectiveness of an Efficient Label Placement Method Using Eye Movement Data

Abstract

This paper focuses on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of dynamic and interactive maps in relation to the user. A label placement method with an improved algorithmic efficiency is presented. Since this algorithm has an influence on the actual placement of the name labels on the map, it is tested if this efficient algorithms also creates more effective maps: how well is the information processed by the user. We tested 30 participants while they were working on a dynamic and interactive map display. Their task was to locate geographical names on each of the presented maps. Their eye movements were registered together with the time at which a given label was found. The gathered data reveal no difference in the user’s response times, neither in the number and the duration of the fixations between both map designs. The results of this study show that the efficiency of label placement algorithms can be improved without disturbing the user’s cognitive map. Consequently, we created a more efficient map without affecting its effectiveness towards the user.     

Reflections on Cartography as the British Cartographic Society Celebrates its Golden Jubilee

Abstract

A questionnaire to 128 drivers included map reading tasks using ½-inch to 1 mile maps produced by Philips (Shell Motoring Maps) and by the Ordnance Survey, followed by questions about which of the two maps was preferred and about the features required in a road map.     

Study of the attentive behavior of novice and expert map users using eye tracking

The aim of this paper is to gain better understanding of the way map users read and interpret the visual stimuli presented to them and how this can be influenced. In particular, the difference between expert and novice map users is considered. In a user study, the participants studied four screen maps which had been manipulated to introduce deviations. The eye movements of 24 expert and novice participants were tracked, recorded, and analyzed (both visually and statistically) based on a grid of Areas of Interest. These visual analyses are essential for studying the spatial dimension of maps to identify problems in design. In this research, we used visualization of eye movement metrics (fixation count and duration) in a 2D and 3D grid and a statistical comparison of the grid cells. The results show that the users’ eye movements clearly reflect the main elements on the map. The users’ attentive behavior is influenced by deviating colors, as their attention is drawn to it. This could also influence the users’ interpretation process. Both user groups encountered difficulties when trying to interpret and store map objects that were mirrored. Insights into how different types of map users read and interpret map content are essential in this fast-evolving era of digital cartographic products.     

Choosing Geographic Units for Choropleth Rate Maps,with an Emphasis on Public Health Applications

Choropleth maps are the most widely used map type for mapping rates, such as those involving disease, crime, and socioeconomic indicators. The essential step of choosing a geographic unit to map is often made in an ad hoc manner. Among the desirable characteristics of choropleth mapping units are high degree of resolution, homogeneity of population size, homogeneity of land area, observation of minimum population thresholds and land area thresholds, temporal stability and currency, compactness of shape, audience familiarity, data availability, and the functional relevance of the unit to the phenomena mapped. Because of the uneven distribution of human populations, no single geographic unit can meet all of these characteristics in practice, and a well designed choropleth map necessarily involves some compromise. We present guidelines for choosing geographic units that take into account the above criteria, considering 12 geographic units ranging from census blocks to states. Even allowing for differences in scale and purpose, some units confer clear advantages over others.     

A Review of “Putting “America” on the Map: The Story of the Most Important Graphic Document in the History of the United States”

Leinbach, Thomas R. and Brunn, Stanley D. (eds.) Worlds of E-Commerce: Economic, Geographical, and Social Dimensions

Calthorpe, Peter and Fulton, William The Regional City: Planning for the End of Sprawl

Furuseth, Owen J. and Lapping, Mark B. (eds.) Contested Countryside: The Rural-Urban Fringe in North America

Sharp, Joanne P. Condensing the Cold War: Reader's Digest and American Identity

Gleeson, Brendan and Low, Nicholas (eds.) Governing for the Environment: Global Problems, Ethics, and Democracy

Isenberg, Andrew The Destruction of the Bison: An Environmental History, 1750 – 1920

Albert, Donald P., Gesler, Wilbert M. and Levergood, Barbara (eds.) Spatial Analysis, GIS, and Remote Sensing Applications in the Health Sciences

Wright, Dawn J. and Bartlett, Darius J. (eds.) Marine and Coastal Geographical Information Systems

Jankowski, Piotr and Nyerges, Timothy Geographic Information Systems for Group Decision Making: Towards a Participatory Geographic Information Science

Gerber, Rod and Chuan, Goh Kim (eds.) Fieldwork in Geography: Reflections, Perspectives, and Actions

Craige, Betty Jean Eugene Odom: Ecosystem Ecologist and Environmentalist

Lowenthal, David George Perkins Marsh: Prophet of Conservation

Schroeder, Richard Shady Practices: Agroforestry and Gender Practices in The Gambia

Lovell, W. George A Beauty that Hurts: Life and Death in Guatemala

Lichtenberger, Elisabeth Austria: Society and Regions     

Spatial Sampling Strategies for Mapping a Volcanic Ground Water Plume in Sierra Valey,California

Accurately mapping a region’s ground water quality depends upon the spatial sampling strategies employed, including where and how often field data are collected. This study compares the relative values of three field sampling strategies for mapping a known migrating plume of volcanic ground water in Sierra Valley, California. The first strategy sampled wells once each year during 1957, 1972, and 1980 (n=63, 45, and 57, respectively) and portrayed spatial–temporal changes in ground water quality more clearly on maps than did two alternative sampling strategies. One of these alternatives, Strategy 2, sampled one well per township per year during 1957, 1972, and 1980 (n=11) and did not detect the migrating plume, despite being a recommended strategy. The other alternative, Strategy 3, frequently sampled in time a small, fixed group of indicator wells (n=13) every four years for the same period, again producing maps with little correlation to the original pattern detected by Strategy 1.