This article discusses the state of the art in geovisualization supporting climate change adaptation. We reviewed twenty selected map-based Web tools, classified by their content and functionality, and assessed them by visual representations, interactive functions, information type, target audience, and how vulnerability and adaptation to climate change are addressed. Our study concludes that the tools (1) can be classified as data viewers with basic functionality and data explorers offering more sophisticated interactive functions; (2) mostly feature moderate or high richness of data content; and (3) predominantly target expert users.

Vulnerability to natural hazards has many components. It is about exposure to various natural disasters, but a place's vulnerability also depends on its capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from shocks resulting from natural extreme events. To avoid increased place vulnerability due to the anticipated negative effects of climate change, local authorities need to know which places are the most vulnerable and what makes these areas vulnerable. We have developed ViewExposed to provide this information. Knowing where the most vulnerable areas are is very useful for local stakeholders, since these places may be most in need of adaptation strategies. However, stakeholders also need to have an understanding of what makes these areas vulnerable. ViewExposed provides this information using a parallel coordinates plot, a table view, sparklines, and a profile report. Although vulnerability assessment data are complex, ViewExposed has an easy-to-use interface facilitating a high degree of user interaction through multiple and linked views. An improved understanding of the many aspects of vulnerability has a far-reaching potential to inform users efficiently about factors that influence the overall vulnerability and, as a consequence, can help raise people's awareness of what makes places vulnerable to natural threats.

The aim of the study on which the article is based was to identify groups of communities with similar resilience profiles, using Norwegian municipalities as a case. The authors used a set of socioeconomic and environmental indicators as measures of municipalities’ resilience and performed a cluster analysis to divide the municipalities into groups with similar multivariate resilience signatures. The results revealed six groups of municipalities that, apart from their unique combinations of indicator scores, featured certain spatial patterns, such as an “urban cluster” with urbanized municipalities and a “suburban cluster” with municipalities concentrated around major cities. The authors conclude that municipalities in each of the groups shared aspects that made them either more or less resilient to natural hazards, which could make them potential targets for shared interventions. Additionally, the authors conclude that clustering can be used to identify municipalities with similar resilience features and that could benefit from networking and sharing operational planning as a way to improve their respective communities' resilience to natural hazards.

Quite a few examples in the cartographic and information visualisation literature suggest that multi-component animated maps may be appropriate for examining complex spatio-temporal phenomena. Such space–time visualizations typically consist of multiple dynamic map or data windows, linked by means of interactive tools. Little empirical evidence exists, however, providing support of the potential advantages of such complex visual space–time displays. This research aimed at filling this gap.\ud An empirical study was carried out to obtain insight on how multi-component animated maps are used to explore dynamic spatio-temporal phenomena. We examined which particular components attract users’ attention and in what sequence, and whether display effectiveness can be characterized by users’ viewing behaviours. Based on behavioural data collected with the eye-tracking method, we find that component size, and employed dynamic variables attracted users’ attention most. We are also able to identify visual behaviour patterns that result in performance differences between participants, using\ud multi-component animated map. Finally, we highlight component layout design issues that should be further examined empirically, in order to reduce potential split attention effects

Future climate in the Nordic countries is expected to become ‘warmer, wetter, and wilder’, and this will probably cause more extreme weather events. Therefore, local authorities need to improve their ability to assess weather-related hazards such as floods, landslides, and storms, as well as people’s sensitivity and capacity to cope with or adjust to such events. In this article, we present an integrated assessment of vulnerability to natural hazards, which incorporates both exposure and social vulnerability. In our assessment, we screen places and rank them by their relative scores on exposure and vulnerability indices. We also design a web-based visualization tool – ViewExposed – that shows maps that reveal a considerable geographic variation in integrated vulnerability. ViewExposed makes it easy to identify the places with the highest integrated vulnerability, and it facilitates the understanding of the factors that make these places exposed and/or vulnerable. For empirical validation, we correlate the exposure indices with insurance claims due to natural damage. However, we also emphasize the importance of a dialog with relevant stakeholders to ensure a participatory validation. Our top-down exposure and vulnerability assessment benefits from a participatory bottom-up assessment. This is crucial to support decisions about where to implement adaptive and preventive measures against hazards related to climate change.