Cartographic systems visualization in mobile devices: issues, approaches and example cases (original) (raw)

The world in your pocket-towards a mobile cartography

Proceedings of the 20th International Cartographic …, 2001

The dawn of new technologies on the horizon, such as telecommunication, mobile internet, and handheld computing devices, offers new chances to the discipline of cartography. However, existing approaches to mobile cartography mostly have a commercial background and are rather technology centred. This quite narrow view ignores many relevant problems and does not fully profit from the new possibilities a mobile cartography could provide. Hence, we will sketch a general conceptual framework for cartography in a mobile environment. After the identification of specific user tasks and requests in a mobile environment suitable models of context and user's interests or preferences are highlighted. The process of adaptive and dynamic generation of visualisations for mobile users is illustrated and the key research fields involved are pointed out. An example demonstrates the benefits of dynamic visualisation of geoinformation on mobile devices. It should illustrate the basic ideas of mobile cartography and prove the flexibility of vector data (e.g. SVG) as an efficient and useful means of visualisation in a mobile context.

A Cartographic Presentation Model for Navigation and Location-Based Applications

The paper presents results of research performed at the Warsaw University of Technology in Poland. The objective of introducing the Cartographic Presentation Model represented by the UML class diagram is to formalize and standardize navigation and location-based systems' design process, considering cartographic aspects. Such a process includes preparation of cartographic visualization; definition of appropriate data sources for particular geovisualization elements; definitions of factors (events), which result in modification of visualization; assurance of map content's contextual modification; and a definition of location for replaying audio communiqués, video transfers and other media. In order to formalise this process, the author introduced and proposed the following terms: partial geocomposition, cartographic information transmission unit, cartographic event, geovisualization window, elementary geovisualization. The author defined the genuine model using UML notation and proposed the use of xml file format; (xml files may be used for steering various navigation and location applications). Such an approach attempts to ensure the abstract description of cartographic presentation, which-to the maximum possible extent-could be independent from mobile application manufacturers' solutions. The discussed model is not a model of a geographic reality, but a model of a cartographic presentation of it, therefore in a sense, a metamodel.

Design and Evaluation of an Adaptive Mobile Map-Based Visualisation System

Mobile visualisation of map-based information is a difficult task. Designers of such systems must contend with the limitations of mobile devices in terms of hardware, screen size and input mechanisms. These problems are exacerbated by the nature of spatial data, where a large information space needs to be presented and manipulated on a small screen. In this paper, a prototype adaptive mobile map-based visualisation system, called MediaMaps, is presented. MediaMaps allows users to capture, location-tag, sort and browse multimedia in a map-based view. MediaMaps was designed to adapt the information visualised, the map-based visualisations and the supporting user interface. The results of an international field study, in which participants used MediaMaps on their personal mobile phones for a three-week period, are also presented. These results show that the adaptations implemented achieved high levels of accuracy and user satisfaction and successfully addressed some of the limitations ...

Visual Presentation Challenges for Mobile Spatial Applications: Three Case Studies

2008 12th International Conference Information Visualisation, 2008

In this paper, we argue for an integrated approach comprising innovations in MSI with latest advances in visualization. In order to demonstrate the potential of this joint approach, we present a series of three related projects and highlight in each case research challenges and results in the field of Mobile HCI and mobile application development as well as corresponding advances of the underlying server-side rendering algorithms.

Concepts for the Cartographic Visualization of Landmarks

Landmarks are an indispensable part of maps in mobile cartography applications. In this paper we propose a design concept for the visualization of building landmarks in mobile maps. We consider four categories of building landmarks: well-known shops (trade chains), shops referenced by their type, buildings with a specific name or function and buildings described by characteristic visual aspects and examine how each of these groups is most effectively visualized. Possible visualizations differ in their abstraction levels, ranging from photo realistic image presentations, over drawings, sketches and icons to abstract symbols and words. As a guideline to designers we provide a matrix representation of the design space from which possible and recommended presentation styles for each building type can be identified.

Cartography in a mobile internet age

Proceedings, The 20th International Cartographic …, 2001

Many now predict an era in which the display of cartographic data is not on a desktop computer, but on a mobile system located at the point of measurement or use in the field. This next cartographic revolution will be hastened by compact GPS receivers, cellular communications, portable web access, reduced size microcomputers, and next generation input and output devices for the use and display of digital maps. This research reviews field technologies for GIS and computer mapping, including those developments that will place the computer devices on the person of the user, the input devices into the hand-free use environment, and the display directly into the human vision field. A prototype ubiquitous field computing system will be demonstrated, with the intent of highlighting the extraordinary demands that will be placed upon the human-computer interface of the resultant wearable GIS. Particular concerns are communications, data bandwidth, Internet access and coverage, high-throughput Internet links, digital library database access, but above all the user interface of such a system. Some alternative designs for the mobile ubiquitous GIS user interface are presented, that include capabilities for in-view augmented cartographic reality. View options include feature frames, three dimensional glyphs, text feature annotation, monochrome feature filters, feature location identification and selection, Internet linkage, haloing, and pointer and navigation aids and mechanisms. Of particular concern in such ubiquitous systems will be data screening or access limitations, and the techniques of pixel blocking as a solution to security and privacy. Speculations on the future of cartography, assuming the existence of such devices and user interfaces, will be made including the negative consequences of the use of the systems. Clearly, liberation from the constraints of the desktop will have much to offer the future of mapping, above all a reorientation toward exploration and field data collection for mapping, If the negative consequences can be anticipated and controlled, then mobile GIS will constitute the next generation of geographic information technologies.

A Prototype Cartographic User Interface for Wearable Computing

There is currently no human-computer interface specifically designed for the alternative interaction modes used on wearable systems for input and output. For a geographically oriented wearable computer system a graphical user interface (GUI) is indispensable, yet contemporary window systems using the desktop metaphor are unsuitable for wearable computing. In this paper we document and discuss the design and implementation of a prototype cartographic user interface for wearable computing focused on cartographic tasks, particularly navigation in the field. This system can accommodate multiple sources of spatial information including maps, imagery and thematic data collected in the field, and exploits the two most basic advantages of wearable devices, real-time visualization and multi-modal interaction.

LocaweRoute: an advanced route history visualization for mobile devices

AVI '08: Proceedings of the working conference on Advanced visual interfaces, 2008

In this research, we addressed the problem of visualizing route histories on a mobile device. We developed a solution, which combines the visualization of three route history parameters: speed, direction, and location. The visualization was tested in a laboratory evaluation with 12 subjects. The results showed that by using the visualization the subjects were able to estimate actual driving speeds accurately. The subjects also evaluated that the visualization supported their knowledge of the speed, location, and direction quite well. The results suggest that the presented visualization is an improvement over currently used route history visualizations.

Designing interactive distance cartograms to support urban travelers

2017

A distance cartogram (DC) is a technique that alters distances between a user-specified origin and the other locations in a map with respect to travel time. With DC, users can weigh the relative travel time costs between the origin and potential destinations at a glance because travel times are projected in a linearly interpolated time space from the origin. Such glance-ability is known to be useful for travelers who are mindful of travel time when finding their travel destinations. When constructing DC, however, uneven urban traffic conditions introduce excessive distortion and challenge user intuition. In addition, there has been little research focusing on DC's user interaction design. To tackle these challenges and realize the potential of DC as an interactive decision-making support tool, we derive a set of useful interactions through two formative studies and devise two novel techniques called Geo-contextual Anchoring Projection and Scalable Roadnetwork Construction. We develop an interactive map system using these techniques and evaluate this system by comparing it against an equidistant map (EM), a widely used conventional layout that preserves the geographical reality. Based on the analysis of user behavior and qualitative feedback, we identify several benefits of using DC itself and of the interaction techniques we derived. We also analyze the specific reasons behind these identified benefits.

Mobile Visualization: Challenges and Solution Concepts

Relatively cheap and widely available wireless data communication services are available to the mass-market. Within the coverage of the cellular network used, the vision of information access for 'everyone, anytime, anywhere' has become reality. A Global Information Visualization environment can be imagined where the vision of 'All information at your fingertip' is reality. In this environment, every information, data, or tool available on any computer connected to the global network is directly accessible to the user.