Hypermedia maps and the internet

Abstract

The highly-interactive, map-based multimedia presentation known as the hypermedia map has emerged along with the development of the interactive personal computer since the 1980s. Although combining maps with other forms of representation such as pictures is not new, this particular interactive type of map required an effective electronic form of distribution. The CD-ROM served that capacity briefly but was soon replaced by the Internet which emerged in the mid-1990s as the major form of information delivery. More maps are now distributed through the Internet than through any other medium. But, most of the maps that make their way to the Internet are simply static maps, often scanned from paper, not the highly-interactive hypermedia maps that were expected with this new medium. There are very few examples of hypermedia maps currently available through the Internet, and those that do exist are very difficult to find. The continued development of hypermedia is based on both the accessibility of hypermedia maps through the Internet and a system of remuneration so that the authors of these time-consuming products can be compensated.