Infrastructure Engineering - Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Item
    Thumbnail Image
    A multimedia approach to the visualisation of geographical phenomena
    Cartwright, William Edward ( 1997)
    The use of multimedia linked to geographical information is seen as one of the ways in which decision support, where decisions are based on the evaluation and consideration of data that is spatially unique and geographically referenced, can effectively be made available. There exists a need to explore the applicability of multimedia metaphor extensions of geographical information products to providing users with a tool for enhanced information presentations that can be linked to ‘real world’ information. This would enable decisions to be made in concert with information obtained from the real world, rather than an artificial, map-defined world, thus supporting the user’s view of information. The hardware and software development related to multimedia packages and spatial information products like Geographical Information Systems have now reached a stage where technological issues have largely been resolved. What needs to be investigated is the linking of powerful spatial information systems (that currently allow for the presentation of data in a spatially accurate and timely manner) to multimedia presentation packages. This research investigated the use of multimedia to support geographical information products. It developed a metaphor set that could be implemented using multimedia to complement the traditional map metaphor. The development of metaphor set, comprising the Storyteller, the Navigator, the Guide, the Sage, the Data Store, the Fact Book, the Gameplayer, the Theatre and the Toolbox, and its implementation in a ‘GeoExploratorium’ is the core of this thesis. The research found that this multimedia product, built around the metaphor set, was an effective way of presenting geographically referenced information. It is argued that the combination of these metaphors, delivered via the GeoExploratorium, would provide the means for users of contemporary geographical information to better understand the information being presented. Further research is needed to develop the full potential of this approach and to test its effectiveness as a method for providing tools for geographic exploration and discovery, as well as for the scientific investigation of geographical phenomena.