Continuous cartography: generalisation for mixed-scale and mixed- space map views

Given that modern (often mobile) devices used for consuming geospatial information afford an explicit understanding of the user’s goals and context, we argue that generalisation logic may benefit from better linkage to the context-dependent needs of the map user. A journey can be conceptualised as a sequence of navigation tasks. While a traveler experiences a journey as a continuous phenomenon, our methods of cartographic representation typically result in the traveler interacting with a set of discrete map views. Continuous cartography refers to the representation of a single integrated map view. While continuous generalisation has been explored in a number of research threads, in this paper we present initial work to more explicitly link a continuous approach to cartographic representation with the sequence of navigation tasks a traveler undertakes. The implication being the need for map views that integrate spatial information from multiple forms of spatial representation. This work strongly links with issues of automation and the effectiveness of maps delivered through the limited screen real estate of mobile devices.