1MIDTBØ- Larsen: Map Animations Versus Static Maps – When is One of Them Better? Map Animations Versus Static Maps – When is One of Them Better? (original) (raw)
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Map Animations Versus Static Maps - When is One of Them Better?
During the last decade the introduction of new techniques on World Wide Web has opened for increasing use of dynamic maps. However, it is still not fully known in which cases a map animation convey the information faster and better than a set of static maps, and the other way around, when the static maps will be the best choice. This paper is based on an experiment where some information was presented for a group of people as animations (without any interac- tion), while another group studied the same information as a set of static maps. Both the animations and the static maps were displayed for a limited time, and the participants answered some questions related to the displayed information. The groups are alternately introduced to animations or static maps. The experiment showed some tendencies that animations could be better in given situations. Especially small changes in the location of a phenomenon was better comprehended by an animation
Perception of the contents of animated maps
Polish Cartographical Review, 2016
Intense development of computer technology has taken place in the last several decades made it possible to cartographically present variability of phenomena in a dynamic way. As a result of using animation techniques in cartography there appeared new methods of presentation of changes, referred to as direct. Considering the character of the relation between display time and real time, two basic types of animated maps have been distinguished: temporal and non-temporal. Other criteria of classifying animation are the presence and level of interactivity and the technical criteria of production.Regardless of the applied classification, perception of the contents of animated maps is one of the main issues, since using animation leads to a significant cognitive load specific for dynamic methods. Fast sequence of data and its quick disappearance can result in omission of some information because in the case of animated maps there is a higher risk of exceeding perception potential of users ...
Continuous or discontinuous? Empirical study on animated maps
Polish Cartographical Review
Advancements in computer technology that have occurred in recent decades have enabled an intensive development in cartographic methods for direct representation of phenomena dynamics. Even with the appearance of ever more advanced technical solutions, the theoretical basis still needs supplementing. The previous cartographic literature emphasises the importance of congruence and isomorphism principles preservation that aims at increasing the effectiveness of dynamic displays. Nevertheless, it is frequently the case that discontinuous phenomena are depicted with the use of smooth transitions. For this reason, it is vital that experimental research should lead to defining which representation methods are appropriate for a given type of content. Our study was focused on the cartographic design of scene transitions in animated maps. Two main conclusions of the research indicate that 1) mode of transition influences the interpretation of the content of cartographic animation depicting di...
Human interaction with animated maps: The portrayal of the passage of time
2007
Methods for interactive map animations are still in an early stage compared to more traditional cartography, and the potentials for improvements are significant. This paper focuses on better design for map animations, particularly for the portrayal of the information regarding the temporal dimension. A series of animations are presented and discussed and subsequently introduced to a wider group of people. In the responses from this group it was not possible to show any significant difference in how well people respond to the different animations, nevertheless people do have preferences for certain animation types depending on which time-scale they represent.
International Journal of Human- …, 2002
Graphics have been used since ancient times to portray things that are inherently spatiovisual, like maps and building plans. More recently, graphics have been used to portray things that are metaphorically spatiovisual, like graphs and organizational charts. The assumption is that graphics can facilitate comprehension, learning, memory, communication and inference. Assumptions aside, research on static graphics has shown that only carefully designed and appropriate graphics prove to be beneficial for conveying complex systems. Effective graphics conform to the Congruence Principle according to which the content and format of the graphic should correspond to the content and format of the concepts to be conveyed. From this, it follows that animated graphics should be effective in portraying change over time. Yet the research on the efficacy of animated over static graphics is not encouraging. In cases where animated graphics seem superior to static ones, scrutiny reveals lack of equivalence between animated and static graphics in content or procedures; the animated graphics convey more information or involve interactivity. Animations of events may be ineffective because animations violate the second principle of good graphics, the Apprehension Principle, according to which graphics should be accurately perceived and appropriately conceived. Animations are often too complex or too fast to be accurately perceived. Moreover, many continuous events are conceived of as sequences of discrete steps. Judicious use of interactivity may overcome both these disadvantages. Animations may be more effective than comparable static graphics in situations other than conveying complex systems, for example, for real time reorientations in time and space. #
Interactive Cartographic Animations - Analysing Functionality in a Web Environment
With the introduction of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) we have experienced new types of maps and new types of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The maps are becoming more interactive and the GIS are becoming more specialised. This paper outlines how such interactive map applications can help in the interpretation of how different objects and phenomena operate together. Several animations based on standard GIS operations are suggested, and a couple of these are implemented by the use of Macromedia Flash. These Flash applications are communicating with external scripts for the computation of the actual problem and for the connection with the data base.
A perception experiment with time-critical graphics animation on the World-Wide Web
Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 1999
The WorldWide Web offers a potentially interesting tool to collect data from a large and heterogeneous audience. While questionnaires have become rather common on the Internet, its potential reaches far beyond text processing. In principle, it is possible not only to perform interactive, dynamic experiments on the Web, but also to include graphical animation and time-critical responses, such as reaction times. Weimplemented a visual motion extrapolation task on the Webusing the programming Ianguage Java, which can be interpreted by standard Web browsers such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. The data collected with this method turned out to be reliable and differed little from data obtained in a controlled laboratory setting, with the exception of conditions with fixation instruction. Thus, the Web can, generally speaking, be used for data collection of large sample sizes. The strengths and weaknesses of dynamic visual simulation experiments on the Internet are discussed.
A Study of the User Friendliness of Temporal Legends in Animated Maps
2012
Among other topics related to the visual aspect of cartographic products, current research addresses the problem of user friendliness. the most significant research concerns those products that evolve most rapidly, a typical example being interactive dynamic maps. this group of cartographic works includes products that are relatively challenging for users with respect to their temporally fluid content and the possibility of interactive manipulation. the article begins with a basic discussion of user-friendliness in cartographic products; in this context it addresses the historical development of the notion of cartography as a science, as well as the evolution of the ways in which it has been defined and of its subjects of interest. it demonstrates that, aside from notions of cartography as a technical discipline, it is also of interest from a linguistic point of view for its role as a mean of communication between cartographer and map user. still greater emphasis is placed on the design aspects of cartographic production. the study offers the example of recent developments in czech cartographic production, in which the last twenty years have seen a significant differentiation between published cartographic products and amateur cartography generally. this applies to creation as well as user base. next the article describes a study on the user-friendliness of temporal legends, which are very common in animated maps. the goal of this study, which was conducted during the summer of 2010, was not only to evaluate the given temporal legends, but also to investigate the extent to which users were able to work with temporal variables (with time) in a cartographic product. among the tools for collecting data was a form of online test. this test posed questions to respondents and automatically measured the amount of time it took them to find their answers. this method was based on the assumption that, given two cartographic works containing similar content, the work which enables the user to find information more quickly is the more user-friendly of the two. the results of the test were then analyzed on the basis of an objective standard for comparing qualities in a cartography work. the authors conclude by suggesting future directions for research on the subject.
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 2020
The aim of the following study was to present three alternative methods of visualization on animated maps illustrating the movement of people gathered at an open-air event recorded on photographs taken by a drone. The effectiveness of an orthorectified low-level aerial image (a so-called orthophoto), a dot distribution map, and a buffer map was tested in an experiment featuring experts, and key significance was attached to the juxtaposition of objective responses with subjective opinions. The results of the study enabled its authors to draw conclusions regarding the importance of visualizing topographic references (stable objects) and people (mobile objects) and the usefulness of the particular elements of animated maps for their analysis and interpretation.