Evaluation of persuasiveness of selected map designs for presenting dominance of phenomena on thematic maps

• Autorzy: Sobczak Kacper , Gołębiowska Izabela

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.2478/pcr-2025-0003

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Various editorial decisions made during the cartographic design process may lead to different interpretations of the same phenomena, potentially emphasizing one phenomenon at the expense of another. Such decisions occur at different stages of map development, including the selection of enumeration units, a form of data representation (map type), and map graphics, including color scales. This article presents the results of a user study examining the impact of selected map design choices – specifically: a level of spatial unit aggregation, a type of color scale, and a form of data presentation (a qualitative area map, a choropleth map, a cartogram, graduated symbols with choropleth colors) – on the accuracy of perceiving the dominance of a phenomenon shown on thematic maps. The study employed thematic maps visualizing two socially relevant topics: ethnonational diversity and presidential election results, each displaying two categories. The survey, conducted using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) method, involved 151 participants. Respondents were asked to identify which of the two categories was dominant on a given map. Response accuracy (identification of the actual dominant phenomenon), the perceived difficulty of the tasks, and the perceived magnitude of dominance were measured. Participants were also asked to describe the spatial distribution of the dominant phenomenon and indicate a map design preferred by them. Based on the collected responses, the analysis revealed statistically significant differences in metrics depending on the map designs tested. The tested map designs, therefore, vary in their degree of persuasiveness in portraying dominance. The article concludes by identifying the techniques that more or less effectively distort the information conveyed by thematic maps.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

information distortion; visual perception; thematic maps; user study; data visualization; persuasiveness

• Wydawca: Polskie Towarzystwo Geograficzne. Oddział Kartograficzny
• Czasopismo: Polish Cartographical Review
• Rocznik: 2025
• Tom: Vol. 57, No. 1
• Strony: 40--57
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 26 poz., mapy, rys., wykr.

Twórcy

autor

Sobczak Kacper

• University of Warsaw Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies Department of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Remote Sensing Cartography Laboratory Warsaw, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5412-4648

autor

Gołębiowska Izabela

• University of Warsaw Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies Department of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Remote Sensing Cartography Laboratory Warsaw, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4307-7054

Bibliografia

• Borkin, M., Gajos, K. Z., Peters, A., Mitsouras, D., Melchionna, S., Rybicki, F. J., Feldman, C. L., & Pfister, H. (2011). Evaluation of artery visualizations for heart disease diagnosis. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 17(12), 2479-2488.
• Brewer, C. A. (1996). Guidelines for selecting colors for diverging schemes on maps. Cartographic Journal, 33(2), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.1179/caj.1996.33.2.79
• Dębowska, A., & Korycka-Skorupa, J. (2010). Kartogram i kartodiagram jako przykład łączenia form prezentacji kartograficznej. Polski Przegląd Kartograficzny, 44(4), 305–320.
• Dent, B. D. (1975). Communication aspects of value-by-area cartograms. The American Cartographer, 2(2), 154–168. https://doi.org/10.1559/152304075784313278
• Dorling, D. (1996). Area cartograms: Their use and creation. Concepts and Techniques in Modern Geography (CATMOG), 59, 252–260.
• Faliszewska, A. (2012). Badania czytelności kartograficznych anamorfoz powierzchni. Polski Przegląd Kartograficzny, 44(3), 225–238.
• Główny Urząd Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. (1924). Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej opracowany na podstawie Pierwszego Powszechnego Spisu Ludności z dn. 30 września 1921 r. i innych źródeł urzędowych. T. 13: Województwo Lwowskie. Mazowiecka Biblioteka Cyfrowa. https://mbc.cyfrowemazowsze.pl/dlibra/publication/17140/edition/14645?language%20=%20pl
• Harrower, M., & Brewer, C. A. (2003). ColorBrewer. org: An online tool for selecting colour schemes for maps. The Cartographic Journal, 40(1), 27–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/000870403235002042
• Hegarty, M., Smallman, H. S., Stull, A. T., & Canham, M. S. (2009). Naïve cartography: How intuitions about display configuration can hurt performance. Cartographica: The International Journal for Geographic Information and Geovisualization, 44(3), 171–186. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/carto.44.3.171
• Kałuski, M. (2023). Polski Lwów w ukraińskim morzu? Międzywojnie. Kresy.pl. https://kresy.pl/kresopedia/polski-lwow-w-morzu-ukrainskim/
• Karsznia, I., Gołębiowska, I. M., Korycka-Skorupa, J., & Nowacki, T. (2021). Searching for an optimal hexagonal shaped enumeration unit size for effective spatial pattern recognition in choropleth maps. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 10(9), 576. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10090576
• Kuby, M., Harner, J., & Gober, P. (2013). True maps, false impressions: Making, manipulating and interpreting maps. Human geography in action (6th ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
• Lewis-Beck, M. S., & Rice, T. W. (1992). Forecasting elections. Congressional Quarterly Press.
• Monmonier, M. (1991). How to Lie with Maps. University of Chicago Press.
• Openshaw, S. (1984). The modifiable areal unit problem: concepts and techniques in modern geography. GeoBooks, 38.
• Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza. (n.d.). Wyniki II tury wyborów prezydenckich w Polsce w 2020 roku. https://prezydent20200628.pkw.gov.pl/prezydent20200628/pl/dane_w_arkuszach
• Pierzgalski, M. (2015). Gerrymandering, czyli manipulowanie strukturą granic okręgów wyborczych. Studia Socjologiczne, 218(3), 7–39.
• Ratajski, L. (1989). Metodyka kartografii społeczno- gospodarczej (wyd. 2). PPWK.
• Robinson, A. H., Sale, R. D., Morrison, J. L., & Muehrcke, P. C. (1995). Elements of cartography. John Wiley & Sons.
• Słomska-Przech, K., & Gołębiowska, I. M. (2021). Do different map types support map reading equally? Comparing choropleth, graduated symbols, and isoline maps for map use tasks. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 10(2), 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10020069
• Szturm de Sztrem, E. (Ed.). (1937). Drugi powszechny spis ludności z dn. 9.XII.1931 r: Mieszkania i gospodarstwa domowe. Ludność. Stosunki zawodowe: Miasto Lwów. Główny Urząd Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Mazowiecka Biblioteka Cyfrowa. https://mbc.cyfrowemazowsze.pl/dlibra/publication/16927/edition/14189
• Szturm de Sztrem, E. (Ed.). (1938). Drugi powszechny spis ludności z dn. 9.XII.1931 r: Mieszkania i gospodarstwa domowe. Ludność. Stosunki zawodowe: Województwo lwowskie bez miasta Lwowa. Główny Urząd Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Mazowiecka Biblioteka Cyfrowa. https://mbc.cyfrowemazowsze.pl/dlibra/publication/16932/edition/14200/content
• Tourangeau, R., Rips, L. J., & Rasinski, K. (Eds.). (2000). The psychology of survey response. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511819322
• Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1973). Availability: A heuristic for judging frequency and probability. Cognitive Psychology, 5(2), 207–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(73)90033-9
• Tyner, J. A. (1982). Persuasive cartography. Journal of Geography, 81(4), 140–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221348208980868
• Wu, P., DePlato, J., & Combs, A. (2020). Geographic information system for and against gerrymandering. Journal of Information Systems Applied Research, 13(3), 4–10.