Introduction. The revolutionary changes in information technology of the last two decades allow the construction of electronic atlases (EA), the capabilities of which are fundamentally richer than the capabilities of "classic" EA. This is achieved through the use of the systemic properties of the new generation of EA, which are therefore named systemic. Systemic EA remain the simplest and most effective spatial information models of territorial systems allowing applying them for the decision of many practical problems.The purpose of the paper is to formulate the need for systemic EA and describe methods for research their systemic properties. These methods will be used to find and describe critical systemic properties without which EA cannot be systemic. The methods are founded on Relational Cartography and Model-Based Engineering.Results. The evolution of "classic" EA is considered: from paper atlases and their images to analytical atlases. It is shown that on the imaginary border of classic and nonclassic EA there are already new generation of EA -systemic EA. Both the theory and practice of such systemic EA have many unresolved problems. Some of them are described in the article. The authors believe that many problems can be solved by implementing the critical systemic properties of EA. Two methods are used to research the problems and to prove the results: Conceptual frameworks and Solutions frameworks. Both the methods themselves and the possibility of their application to find the critical systemic properties of the new generation of EA are described.
Modern atlas cartography has a number of unsolved problems, among which a special place is occupied by the renewal of the atlas concept and approaches to the atlas development and maintenance of atlases functioning. To study this problem, the article analyzes the evolution of the atlas concept in time and in the context of cartography paradigms. The key elements of the concept of the atlas in the “paper age” were format in the form of books with a certain fixed set of structural elements and a unified layout, atlas as a system of maps, atlas as a model of geosystem, atlas as a tool for storytelling, atlas as a tool for communication information and knowledge, atlas as a research tool. The greatest theoretical contribution to atlas cartography of the pre-computer age was given to G. Mercator and representatives of the model-cognitive paradigm of cartography. It is established that with the advent of electronic atlases in the late 1980s and atlas information systems in the 1990s, the generation of new atlas concepts is carried out in the field of geovisualization and communicative paradigm of cartography, which focused on high-quality visualization of maps (data sets) and communication of information in the form of a “story” or geoportal. It was found that in the late 2000s, atlases began to be transformed into complex information systems (atlas platforms) with a branched atlas infrastructure for multiple creation of atlases of the same type in technical implementation and concept. These innovations are primarily driven by cybercartographers, the Swiss school of cartography and the relational cartography.A number of problems of modern atlas concepts are indicated, including excessive focus on technology and users, as well as ignoring cognitive capabilities of atlases for geosystem research. Further conceptualization of atlases as models of geosystems and a unique class of cartographic information systems are named as priority areas of research.
In the more than 30-year history of electronic atlases, only two classifications of interactive functions designed directly for the electronic atlas are widely known. In addition, the theoretical aspects of the development of these classifications have been insufficiently covered, which makes it difficult to improve them further. The purpose of the article is to develop the theoretical and methodological basis of creating the classification system of interactive functions of the electronic atlas. To achieve this purpose, four intermediate goals were set: finding out whether it is necessary to create a new classification or refine existing ones; formation of the terminological apparatus of the object of research and classification system; formation of a set of classification objects—interactive functions; development of the methodological basis of the classification system. The place of interactive functions in the system of notions of interactive and atlas cartography was determined, which included consideration of such notions as electronic atlas elements, atlas interaction, electronic atlas representation, electronic atlas interactivity, atlas interaction operator, electronic atlas functionality, and interactive tool. The following basic notions of the interactive functions classification system were established: classification element, classification object, general principle of classifying, and the main feature (basis) of classifying. Essential (interactivity, resultative, visibility, duration, unambiguity) and non-essential (passivity, extensibility) properties of interactive function, its characteristics and varieties are determined. One hundred seventy-nine interactive functions of the electronic atlas have been preliminarily identified, which will be divided into classification groups based on their purpose. The classification will be intended for developers of atlas platforms and authors of electronic atlases. Its development will help solve such tasks as systematization of experience in creating and implementing interactive functions of electronic atlases; evaluation of interactivity and functionality of electronic atlases; review of the theoretical provisions of atlas cartography, finding new interactive functions and connections between existing ones; accelerating the development of electronic atlases by authors-users of the atlas platform; and demonstration of the interactive capabilities of the atlas platform. The research results can be used at the theoretical level of designing the classification of interactive functions not only for the electronic atlas but also for other applications where the classification object is the interactive function. The proposed terminological apparatus may be of interest to the whole of interactive cartography because such general theoretical notions as interactive function, interactivity, and interaction are considered.
This paper is the completion of the project started in [1], which is devoted to the development of the classification of interactive functions of the electronic atlas. In the previous work, we developed the theoretical and methodological basis for creating the classification. This paper describes the logical scheme of the classification and the classification groups within the created classification. To detect interactive functions, thirty-four atlases and ten geoportals released between 2006 and 2021 were analyzed. A detailed list of applications can be found at the link: https://bit.ly/3wL35uu. Interactive functions mentioned in the literature on the topic were also taken into account. The proposed classification (https://bit.ly/3Ck3jvK) is artificial and taxonomic with a combined structure: faceted radial at the first level and sequential within each facet (group). The main (type, class, genus, kind) and transitional (subtype, subgenus) taxonomic categories were allocated, the purpose of which is to emphasize the subordination of the classification groups of objects and to reveal the vertical connections between them. One hundred and eighty-one interactive functions are allocated among seven groups, where each group corresponds to one feature by a purpose: Settings and Support, Visual Design Adaptation, Navigation, Analysis, Extensibility, Recoverability, Saving, and Tracking. The sequence of groups corresponds to the hypothetical stages of the user’s work with the electronic atlas and is intended to facilitate the perception of the classification. The classification is open to extension as well as modification for specific thematic atlases. Future additions will include functions with a 3D dimension and an audiovisual component.
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