Cartographic Redundancy in Reducing Change Blindness in Detecting Extreme Values in Spatio-Temporal Maps

Paweł Cybulski,Beata Medyńska-Gulij

doi:10.3390/ijgi7010008

Abstract

The article investigates the possibility of using cartographic redundancy to reduce the change blindness effect on spatio-temporal maps. Unlike in the case of previous research, the authors take a look at various methods of cartographic presentation and modify the visual variables in order to see how those modifications affect the user’s perception of changes on spatio-temporal maps. The study described in the following article was the first attempt at minimizing the change blindness phenomenon by manipulating graphical parameters of cartographic visualization and using various quantitative mapping methods. Research shows that cartographic redundancy is not enough to completely resolve the problem of change blindness; however, it might help reduce it.

Highlights

Cartographic animation makes it possible to present spatial and temporal changes simultaneously
We describe the significance of change blindness in reading animated maps
We propose to extend this framework by two additional elements: first, stating whether the intensity noted at a given spot is a maximum or a minimum value; second, pointing out on the timeline the moment when the change occurred—in other words, perceiving the place, and the time of the change

Summary

Introduction

Cartographic animation makes it possible to present spatial and temporal changes simultaneously. As aptly noticed by [1], the problem with animated map perception is not caused by the technology itself, but rather by the limited perceptual capabilities of the user. Changes taking place on animated maps are susceptible to a perceptional problem known as change blindness. It is a phenomenon whereby a user fails to notice a change occurring in the form of a visual stimulus [9,10] It occurs during the transition from one image to another. If the two images differ from each other, the difficulty lies in the visual perception of those changes Bearing this in mind, we set out to study the perceptual limitations of the animated map user, taking into consideration various mapping methods

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Discussion

Conclusion