This paper deals with dynamic visualization methods. The focus is on synchronization, one of the aspects that can dynamically control visualization. Synchronization refers to the possibility of running several animations simultaneously and manipulating their starting points in display time to discover relationships. The literature provides examples where animations are juxtaposed to discover (usually) causal relations. Can synchronization be relevant for other relationships? How complex is its application in practice? And are there alternatives for the perceptually difficult juxtaposing of animations? We investigated design options for the visual exploration and analysis of three relationships between spatial patterns in time: convergence, similarity, and stability. For each relationship we used two data sets to produce experimental designs, in which we tried to incorporate knowledge on vision and cognition. It seems useful to distinguish between synchronization in world and in display time. If it is not ...

Epidemics and pandemics are geographical in nature and constitute spatial, temporal, and thematic phenomena across large ranges of scales: local infections with a global spread; short-term decisions by governments and institutions with long-term effects; and diverse effects of the disease on many aspects of our lives. Pandemics pose particular challenges to their visual representation by cartographic means. This article briefly summarizes some of these challenges and outlines ways to approach these. We discuss how to use the information usually available for telling the story of an epidemic, illustrated by the example of the 2019–2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The maps attached to this article demonstrate the discussed cartographic means.

To understand the nature of movement data, we introduce an alternative visual representation looking at paths from different perspectives. The movements and their stops are schematized into lines. These are distorted based on time or distance by applying line cartogram principles to answer specific location- or time-based questions. A prototype consisting of multiple linked views, including the line cartograms and a map, is implemented in a web environment using D3.js. It allows one to explore the nature of single or multiple movements. The option to compare multiple movements gives the solution its unique character. A preliminary evaluation of the product shows it is able the answer questions related to time and space accordingly.