Rethinking and researching scale for mobile device mapsCraig Dalton, Bloomsburg University of PennsylvaniaScale, a core concept in cartography, is changing in both theory and practice. Mobile device map applications, such as Google Maps, can shift scale and emphasize a local focus for users located in the field. Moreover, scale is described as a "zoom level" rather than a representative fraction. Recent theorizations of scale as socially constructed in human geography are useful to understanding these changes. This paper proposes using focus groups to better understand how map users both conceptualize and practice scale using mobile device mapping applications. I hypothesize that a particular kind of scale is constructed through design of mobile web maps, the service's underlying purpose for parent companies such as Google, and the interaction of users. Through this construction, the concept of scale on maps on mobile devices is simple, fast, and hyperlocal, but not wholly effective for users trying to understand a place.
High quality custom interior cartography for mobileKen Kato, University of Oregon InfoGraphics Lab
Jacob Bartruff, University of Oregon InfoGraphics LabBrook Eastman, University of Oregon InfoGraphics LabMapping indoor spaces isn't new but serving high quality, location-aware, interior maps to smartphones is an exciting new problem space. We're seeing a huge push from industry giants (Google, Apple, etc) to pursue indoor location services. The quality of the map beneath the blue dot will be as important for the user experience as it is for outdoor maps. The InfoGraphics Lab has developed several mobile and web applications that serve up current, accurate, user-friendly interior maps - pulling from a 26,000 room GIS. We will show how we develop and manage our high-quality indoor cartography, using ArcMap and ArcGIS Server, as well as our own custom tile server. We will also demonstrate prototype apps that collect crowd-sourced, room-level, interior data to keep our indoor GIS current and accurate - as well as discuss the custom API's we've developed to enable others to build applications around our services.
View presentation »Cartographic design for mobile devices: A case study using the UW-Madison interactive campus mapBrian Davidson, University of Wisconsin-MadisonSmartphones have become an integral part of the daily lives of citizens not only in the United States, but also around the world. It is estimated that by 2016, 80% of the United States population will be using a mobile phone and 50% will be using a tablet. This study investigates the default map scale and level of detail appropriate when designing for mobile maps using the University of Wisconsin-Madison interactive campus map as a case study. Participants were asked to complete wayfinding and identification tasks and were measured based on accuracy, response time, and emotion. Overall, the goal is to provide design considerations for mobile cartography and help open the possibilities for future research in the field of mobile.
View presentation »Mobile Vector Cartography: Designing for Infinite Scale FactorsJustin Miller, MapboxThe Mapbox GL rendering engine is a technology for turning geographic data into living, breathing maps on mobile and web platforms, maps that are drawn as infinitely scaling vectors with on-the-fly styling capabilities. But design of such maps introduces challenges into the design process such as dynamic label placement when zooming the map in and out, specifying feature line width as a function of map scale instead of as static numbers, and other design aspects that become more about planning for presentation situations than about putting visual elements to static medium. This talk will demonstrate these challenges firsthand in a live, on-device demo and talk about the engineering challenges behind giving cartographers these sorts of tools.
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