Portrayal and generalisation of point maps for mobile information services

Abstract

One of the most frequent operations in mapping for mobile information services is the conflation and portrayal of geo-coded thematic information with a topographic base map in response to ad hoc queries on a geographic database. Usually this operation is performed by a simple overlay of the symbolised features with no consideration for maintaining the impression of spatial relationships both between the foreground features and the base map and amongst the foreground features. This chapter discusses the problems of this approach in relation to the dynamic between communicating symbolic and communicating spatial information cartographically. It describes ways in which this balance might be managed through better models of space. Further it places the problem within the broader remit of cartographic generalisation and discusses how these techniques can be combined with spatial modeling to better support mapping activities. © 2005 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.