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nOnTRaDiTiOnaL MaPPing
AnImAted mAPs
Animated cartography has a long history, with research papers on the subject dating
to the 1950s; simple animated maps that showed such things as moving arrows on
maps were made before and during World War II. There is an extensive literature
on these maps; Michael P. Peterson wrote the first book on animated cartography
in 1995, although Norman Thrower urged cartographers to explore the possibilities
of animation as early as 1959, and in the 1970s Waldo Tobler and Hal Moellering
produced early map animations by computer. While animated maps predate the com-
puter era, they were little used because they were time-consuming to produce and
could only be viewed on film, effectively limiting them to motion pictures, especially
newsreels, and educational documentaries to be viewed in schools. With the advent
of powerful, high-performance personal computers, commercial animation software,
CDs and DVDs, and the Internet, such maps became easier to create, view, and dis-
seminate.
Animations basically show change and especially change through space and time,
therefore adding a fourth dimension to maps. There are two basic kinds of anima-
tions:
temporal, which show change through time, and
nontemporal, which are not
time-related, but may show change in space or some attribute. Time change shows
such things as spread of disease, shrinking rain forests, or changing temperatures or
rainfall over a period of time. Spatial change is exemplified by the so-called flybys or
flythrough animations that give the feel of flying over an area. Attribute change often
focuses on points and can show such things as earthquake magnitudes or numbers
of deaths in a war with flashing points or choropleth
maps showing different age
groups.
Animated cartography may be used in both visualization and communication.
The viewer who is able to fly around a 3-D data representation can see information
not seen from one or even two perspectives. Looking
at an animated sequence of
data can reveal patterns not seen on static maps. Examining data and searching for
patterns and unknowns is at the heart of the visualization process. Animations can
also be used to explain knowns, tell a story, or present information; used in this way
animation is a communication tool.
One must ask the same questions before beginning an animated map as for a
static map, that is, what is the purpose of the map; who is the audience and what are
their needs and abilities; what are the restrictions of format; and how will the map be
produced and distributed?
The most important question to ask before creating an animated map is whether
an animation is the best choice or merely an eye-catching gimmick? There should
be some purpose to an animation, not merely the “gee whiz factor”; many animated
maps would have been far more effective as a series of side-by-side maps (sequenced
maps) that can be compared leisurely, rather than as three or four maps that flash
before the viewers’ eyes. If change is not an aspect of the data examination or presen-
tation, animation may not be the best choice. Animated maps are still time-consum-
ing to produce and therefore expensive, so one must take the cost factor into account.
Mark Harrower (2009) has described this as the “effort-to-reward ratio.”
A second question is, What is the purpose of the map? Will it be made for one
Continuity and Change in the Computer era 203
person or a team examining a data set to look for spatiotemporal patterns, that is,
visualization, or will it be used to communicate information?
When creating animated maps there are additional graphic variables (see Chap-
ter 7) to consider: duration, rate of change, order, display date, frequency, and syn-
chronization (Table 11.1).
Duration is the period of time a frame or scene remains on
the screen. A frame is a single image; a scene is a group of frames. The shorter the
duration, generally, the smoother the animation.
Rate of change is the relationship
between the magnitude of the change of attributes and the duration of the frame or
scene. Less magnitude of change between frames or a longer duration for each frame
makes a smoother animation.
Order is the arrangement or sequence in which the
frames are presented. Most commonly the order is chronological, but other arrange-
ments can also be used, such as quantities, that may help viewers to visualize pat-
terns.
Display date is the time some change is started.
Frequency is the number of
recognizable stages for each unit of time and
synchronization is the correspondence
time series.
In designing the animated map page layout there are three major considerations.
The map image itself, of course, is primary and should, like conventional maps, take
up most of the space available. Because of limitations of screen size and performance
and the need for expanded legends and interface, these maps may be smaller than
desired. This has implications for the amount of information shown. Animated maps,
like static maps, require a title and legend or legends. There may be a conventional
legend to explain symbols and a temporal legend to track time, but a legend is also
needed to navigate the map. Three types of temporal legend are shown in Figure 11.1.
The final element is the interface that allows the user to interact with the animation.
This provides tools to pause, fast-forward and fast-reverse, go to a specific frame, or
even reorder the sequence of frames. There may also be a link to the database.
Mark Harrower (2003) provided a series of “tips” for designing an attractive,
effective animated map. He noted four challenges that animated maps present. One
of these is that the reader can miss important information because it flashes on the
screen too quickly.
This is referred to as disappearance.
Because of this problem,
many map-reading tasks that are simple with static maps, such as estimating sizes,
matching colors to a legend, comparing symbols, or reading labels, are difficult for
users of animated maps. Some animations include large blocks of text that show too
briefly for the user to read this text and look at the map. Some of Harrower’s sugges-
