Missing the city for buildings? A critical review of pan-scalar map generalization and design in contemporary zoomable maps

Abstract

Most of the maps used today are what we call pan-scalar maps, i.e. interactive zoomable applications comprised of numerous maps of a particular area at different zoom levels (i.e., scales). We argue that such maps require a pan-scalar map design, which may differ significantly from established map design axioms and standards. This review is twofold. First, it reviews current practices in pan-scalar map design. Second, it summarizes and synthesizes literature about pan-scalar map design, as well as human-computer interaction (HCI) best practices for pan-scalar maps. The review of practices is based on an analysis of the design of three popular pan-scalar maps: Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, and France's IGN Classic. Discussion centers on both stellar and subpar contemporary pan-scalar map design practices to help guide future practical pan-scalar designs and research on pan-scalar maps broadly.Keywords pan-scalar maps and multi-scale maps and interactive maps and cartographic generalization and map design

Explore maps as you read a comic book

“…Deprived of the narrative apparatus, the enlargement of the definition to "juxtaposed sequential static images" (McCloud, 1993) raised other questions, as it can either designate comics, movies (being very slow comics before being projected) or pan-scalar maps. Referred to as "interactive zoomable applications composed by numerous maps at different zoom levels where each representation at an individual scale is incomplete to facilitate pan-scalar navigation" (Gruget et al, 2023), pan-scalar maps still lack theory in the best way to compose its pan-scalar design. This results in many pan-scalar maps mainly adhering to quality criteria defined for the classical static maps.…”

Where do people look at during multi-scale map tasks?

“…Pan-scalar maps, i.e. interactive, zoomable multi-scale maps (Gruget et al, 2023), accessible through web map services such as Google Maps (Skopeliti and Stamou, 2019), are now clearly the most used maps around the world. But contrary to traditional static maps, their design is not guided by our cognition of these maps, because these objects are too recent to be as studied as static paper maps have been in the past century (Dumont et al, 2020).…”