Designing suitable cartographic multimedia presentations

Abstract

The literature of multimedia points out repeatedly that not only the technical dimension of multimedia but also its application dimension needs to be considered. Only the application context accomplishes multimedia techniques to real multimedia systems. Klimsa (1995) mentions that not any arbitrary combination of media can be labelled as a multimedia system; only the combination of multimedia techniques, application context, and functionality can define actual multimedia systems. This chapter's discussion of the functions of media and the artefact perspective in cartographic multimedia presentations has been undertaken to contribute to the strengthening of the application dimension of cartographic multimedia presentations. The media functions provided and the task-oriented aspects outlined should help in selecting and combining media in such a way that cartographic multimedia presentations are regarded as more than just a summation of individual media. This approach can contribute a useful application of multimedia to cartography. This is essential if multimedia is used as more than just entertainment and it supports the presentation and exploration of spatial data. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.