The possibility of digital interactivity requires us to reenvision the map reader as the map user, and to address the perceptual, cognitive, cultural, and practical considerations that influence the user's experience with interactive maps and visualizations. In this article, we present an agenda for empirical research on this user and the interactive designs he or she employs. The research agenda is a result of a multi-stage discussion among international scholars facilitated by the International Cartographic Association that included an early round of position papers and two subsequent workshops to narrow into pressing themes and important research opportunities. The focus of our discussion is epistemological and reflects the wide interdisciplinary influences on user studies in cartography. The opportunities are presented as imperatives that cross basic research and user-centered design studies, and identify practical impediments to empirical research, emerging interdisciplinary recommendations to improve user studies, and key research needs specific to the study of interactive maps and visualizations.

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Maps support many planning activities, from general purpose tasks to in-depth spatial analyses. However, preferences and intuitions, which occur in all human interactions, are often disregarded in use and user research in cartography, and there is evidences that analysis of these factors is desirable. It is commonly believed that there is a positive correlation between subjective preference and objective performance, and there is agreement about the main role of media in map comprehension. To investigate this topic, quantitative experiments were performed, based on a real situation in which students need to make decisions about public health care management in a city. Users were asked about their preferences with respect to map type, and performances in carrying out tasks were measured. The results indicate that for simple visual comparison tasks, the proposed Web map framework was adequate. However, this was not the case for reasoning tasks, where weak performances were registered. Also, user preference among visual variables seemed to be unrelated to better performance, and since performances were poor, the important role played by interface usability and attractiveness in map use is verified. RÉSUMÉLes cartes appuient de nombreuses activités de planification, depuis les tâches générales jusqu'aux analyses spatiales approfondies. Souvent, la recherche sur l'utilisation et les utilisateurs menée en cartographie ne tient toutefois pas compte des préférences et des intuitions qui existent dans tous les échanges humains et des éléments de preuve indiquent qu'il est souhaitable d'analyser ces facteurs. On croit couramment qu'il y a un lien positif entre la préférence subjective et le rendement objectif et l'on s'entend sur le rôle de premier plan que jouent les médias dans la compréhension des cartes. Pour analyser ce sujet, on a procédé à des expériences quantitatives basées sur des situations de la vie réelle au cours desquelles des étudiants doivent prendre des décisions sur la gestion des soins de santé publics dans une ville. On a demandé aux utilisateurs d'indiquer leurs préférences quant au type de carte et l'on a mesuré leur rendement dans l'exécution de tâches. Les résultats indiquent que le cadre cartographique Web proposé suffit pour des comparaisons visuelles simples, mais non pour des tâches de raisonnement à l'égard desquelles les utilisateurs ont produit un rendement médiocre. Il a aussi semblé n'y avoir aucun lien entre la préférence des utilisateurs à l'égard des variables visuelles et un meilleur rendement. Comme le rendement était médiocre, les résultats vérifient le rôle important que joue le caractère utilisable et attrayant de l'interface dans l'utilisation des cartes.

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Este artigo apresenta uma discussão acerca da relação entre falhas do mapeamento topográfico brasileiro e o ensino de cartografia na graduação e no ensino fundamental e médio. Estes problemas estão relacionados com a ausência de mapas oficiais em escalas médias bem como com a desatualização cartográfica, com cartas topográficas impressas há mais de 30 anos. O mapeamento sistemático topográfico deve fornecer uma base georreferenciada e atualizada em diferentes escalas, de forma a prover suporte à execução projetos de planejamento e infra-estrutura e do cumprimento da legislação ambiental brasileira. Procurando relacionar as lacunas existentes no mapeamento topográfico e o ensino e pesquisa em cartografia, apoiados na comparação com as questões ambientais, foram quantificados os profissionais que possuem formação na área de ciências geodésicas; o número de vagas nas universidades, bem como estatísticas de procura destes cursos; o número de profissionais com registro profissional ativo e; o indicativo de necessidade de profissionais e vagas para sua formação, sendo estes resultados comparados com os números dos cursos na área ambiental, como a engenharia florestal, por exemplo. Os resultados permitem levantar a discussão acerca da importância da formação de profissionais e pesquisadores para elaboração, proposição e cumprimento das leis ambientais e cartográficas.