From Data to Narratives: Scrutinising the Spatial Dimensions of Social and Cultural Phenomena Through Lenses of Interactive Web Mapping

Modern web mapping techniques have enhanced the storytelling capability of cartography. In this paper, we present our recent development of a web mapping facility that can be used to extract interesting stories and unique insights from a diverse range of socio-economic and demographic variables and indicators, derived from a variety of datasets. We then use three curated narratives to show that online maps are effective ways of interactive storytelling and visualisation, which allow users to tailor their own story maps. We discuss the reasons for the revival of the recent attention to narrative mapping and conclude that our interactive web mapping facility powered by data assets can be employed as an accessible and powerful toolkit, to identify geographic patterns of various social and economic phenomena by social scientists, journalists, policymakers, and the public

THE ART OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE TO ASSIST IN THE EXECUTION AND PUBLICATION OF DIGITAL MAPPING ON THE INTERNET

Non più confinata sulla carta, oggi la cartografia viene distribuita per mezzo di Internet in tutto il mondo. Allo scopo di sfruttare completamente le accresciute funzionalità e le nuove potenzialità del Web Mapping, gli utenti chiedono, cercano e creano nuove modalità per consultare e interagire con le informazioni geografiche. Il mondo dell’Open Source si trova davanti nuove sfide e opportunità.No longer restricted to paper, today cartography is distributed worldwide over the Internet. In order to fully exploit the increased functionalities and the new capabilities of Web Mapping, users require, try and invent new ways to view and interact with geographic information. The world of Open Source is faced with new challenges and chances

Interactive mapping on the World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is a promising new media for cartography. It allows the creation of interactive maps that can be accessed by the general public. There is a wide variety both in methods used and in the overall quality of current Web sites. This report reviews the state of interactive mapping on the World Wide Web and offers some guidelines for creating successful interactive mapping Web sites

Implementation of a General Web Application Program Interface for Geoinformatics

C++ language was used for creating web applications at the department of Mapping and Cartography for many years. Plenty of projects started to be very large-scale and complicated to maintain. Consequently, the traditional way of adding functionality to a Web Server which previously has been used (CGI programs) started being usefulness. I was looking for some solutions - particularly open source ones. I have tried many languages (solutions) and finally I chose the Java language and started writing servlets. Using the Java language (servlets) has significantly simplified the development of web applications. As a result, developing cycle was cut down. Because of Java JNI (Java Native Interface) it is still possible to use C++ libraries which we are using. The main goal of this article is to share my practical experiences with rewriting typical CGI web application and creating complex geoinformatic web application

Mapping cyberspace: visualising, analysing and exploring virtual worlds

In the past years, with the development of computer networks such as the Internet and world wide web (WWW), cyberspace has been increasingly studied by researchers in various disciplines such as computer sciences, sociology, geography, and cartography as well. Cyberspace is mainly rooted in two computer technologies: network and virtual reality. Cybermaps, as special maps for cyberspace, have been used as a tool for understanding various aspects of cyberspace. As recognised, cyberspace as a virtual space can be distinguished from the earth we live on in many ways. Because of these distinctions, mapping it implies a big challenge for cartographers with their long tradition of mapping things in clear ways. This paper, by comparing it to traditional maps, addresses various cybermap issues such as visualising, analysing and exploring cyberspace from different aspects

Knowledge Cartography for Open Sensemaking Communities

Knowledge Cartography is the discipline of visually mapping the conceptual structure of ideas, such as the connections between issues, concepts, answers, arguments and evidence. The cognitive process of externalising one's understanding clarifies one's own grasp of the situation, as well as communicating it to others as a network that invites their contributions. This sensemaking activity lies at the heart of the Open Educational Resources movement's objectives. The aim of this paper is to describe the usage patterns of Compendium, a knowledge mapping tool from the OpenLearn OER project, using quantitative data from interaction logs and qualitative data from knowledge maps, forums and blog postings. This work explains nine roles played by maps in OpenLearn, and discusses some of the benefits and adoption obstacles, which motivate our ongoing work