Authors: Inoue, Ryo; Shimizu, Eihan

Source: Cartography and Geographic Information Science, Volume 33, Number 2, April 2006 , pp. 115-125(11)

Publisher: Cartography and Geographic Information Society

Abstract:

A continuous area cartogram is a transformed map in which regions are resized relative to their data. It is considered an effective visualization tool for statistical data, and many solutions have been proposed. However, most of these solutions are not mathematically clear or user friendly; further, they do not provide visually elegant area cartograms. An essential condition for the construction of a visually elegant area cartogram is that the resultant region shape should resemble the corresponding regions on geographical maps. Since it is impossible to determine the shape of a region based only on the information of size, area cartogram construction is an ill-posed problem that requires regularization. In this study, we propose a construction algorithm that involves triangulation of regions and regularization through restrictions on the bearing changes of the edges in order to obtain visually clear results. First, we formulate a construction using nonlinear least squares. Then, by linearizing, we derive a simple formula to create area cartograms. The application of our algorithm to the USA population datasets reveals that our algorithm has mathematical clarity and is user friendly.

Keywords: CONTINUOUS AREA CARTOGRAM; MAP TRANSFORMATION; VISUALIZATION; TRIANGULATION

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1559/152304006777681698

Publication date: 2006-04-01

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• Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS) is the official publication of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society. CaGIS supports research, education, and practices that improve the understanding, creation, analysis, and use of maps and geographic information. The society serves as a forum for the exchange of original concepts, techniques, approaches, and experiences by those who design, implement, and use geospatial technologies through the publication of authoritative articles and international papers. The role of the CaGIS journal is to facilitate these objectives by disseminating results and reports in these areas of interest.
  
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