Given the rising availability of alternative ways of spatial data mapping, there is a growing need to study their usability. An important aspect here is the diversity of the cartographic visualizations that are used to draw conclusions about the usability of various mapping techniques. In our study we evaluated the usability of six various mapping techniques used in presenting spatial accessibility, taking into consideration four components: effectiveness and efficiency (objective criteria) and graphical attractiveness and user-perceived effectiveness (subjective criteria). Using Internet questionnaires, we conducted a graphical perception experiment with respondents performing tasks on a hypothetical monocentric road network model displayed using mapping techniques of spatial accessibility, differing in the applied parameters of graphical and non-graphical factors influencing effectiveness and efficiency. The results showed that non-graphical factors had a greater influence than the graphical factors. In total usability comparison the three-dimensional (3D) point technique was ranked the highest, while the worst result was achieved by the 3D area technique. The proposed graphical form of study results made it possible to compare the influence of various effectiveness factors, to analyze mapping techniques in terms of considered criteria and finally to present their total usability using a chart inspired by Uhorczak’s typogram.

The main focus of this paper is the effectiveness of dynamic point symbols in the presentation of quantitative data. Such symbols are of particular use in the design of animated maps and computer games. The authors examine three existing techniques of using dynamic point symbols to present quantitative data: blinking, pulsation, and rotation. The aim of the study is to compare their effectiveness with that of classical cartographic animation techniques. The results of the study show that in animated map design, dynamic point symbols might be used to present not only qualitative but also quantitative data with comparable effectiveness. The results may serve as the basis for designing dynamic point symbols to be as effective as the classical techniques used in animated cartography.

The aim of the following study was to present three alternative methods of visualization on animated maps illustrating the movement of people gathered at an open-air event recorded on photographs taken by a drone. The effectiveness of an orthorectified low-level aerial image (a so-called orthophoto), a dot distribution map, and a buffer map was tested in an experiment featuring experts, and key significance was attached to the juxtaposition of objective responses with subjective opinions. The results of the study enabled its authors to draw conclusions regarding the importance of visualizing topographic references (stable objects) and people (mobile objects) and the usefulness of the particular elements of animated maps for their analysis and interpretation.

The aim of the study is to present landscape changes in the nineteenth century in the central part of the Upper Silesian Industrial District, which is the municipality of Katowice (southern Poland). The comparison of changes, particularly components of the geographical environment, is based on two time periods – the year 1827 and 1883. Nineteenth-century maps were georeferenced, digitized and a series of thematic spatial visualizations presenting quantitative changes were generated by means of the Geographic Information System (GIS). The scale of the visualization created is 1:100,000 and the area is 16,400 ha. The spatial visualization of quantitative landscape change shows the development of the anthropogenic pressure in the form of settlement areas, raw materials extraction places, roads, and the decrease of natural environments, such as forests, rivers, and water bodies. These changes were caused mainly by the exploration of underground deposits and the rapidly growing population of Upper Silesia.

The aim of the paper is to elaborate on and evaluate a multiperspective cartographic visualization of the spatial behavior of pedestrians in urban space. The detailed objective is to indicate the level of usefulness of the proposed visualization methods for analyzing and interpreting the following features: track shape (trajectory geometry), topographical truth, track length, track visibility, walking time, motivation for getting to the finish point, walking speed, stops, spatial context (spatial surroundings, street names, and so on), and trajectory similarity. Each of the elaborated visualization presents spatial data from a different perspective and visually strengthens other aspects of the behavior of participants of the experiment. Recording the movement of participants by means of global positioning system (GPS) receivers was the first method used in the research, with the other one being a questionnaire that made it possible to determine what kind of motivation pedestrians had when selecting a track leading to the finish point. The results demonstrate different levels of usefulness of the six presented visualizations for reading selected features of the spatial behavior of pedestrians.

In this article, we suggest the introduction of a new method of generating AR content, which we propose to call plane-based augmented geovisualizations (PAGs). This method concerns cases in which AR geovisualizations are embedded directly on any plane detected by the AR device, as in the case of the investigated “Crown of Polish Mountains 3D” application. The study on the usefulness of the AR solution against a classic solution was conducted as part of an online survey of people from various age and social groups. The application in the monitor version showing 3D models of mountain peaks (without AR mode) was tested by the respondents themselves. The use of the application in the AR mode, which requires a smartphone with the appropriate module, was tested by the respondents based on a prepared video demonstrating its operation. The results of the research on three age groups show that the AR mode was preferred among users against all compared criteria, but some differences between age groups were clearly visible. In the case of the criterion of ease of use of the AR mode, the result was not so unambiguous, which is why further research is necessary. The research results show the potential of the AR mode in presenting 3D terrain models.